speck
a small spot differing in color or substance from that of the surface or material upon which it appears or lies: Specks of soot on the window sill.
a very little bit or particle: We haven't a speck of sugar.
something appearing small by comparison or by reason of distance: By then the town was just a speck.
to mark with, or as with, a speck or specks.
Origin of speck
1Other words from speck
- speck·ed·ness [spek-id-nis], /ˈspɛk ɪd nɪs/, noun
- speckless, adjective
- speck·less·ly, adverb
- speck·less·ness, noun
Words Nearby speck
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use speck in a sentence
Then be grateful for this perk,And forget that the economy is dreck, And while I plot my coup — here’s what I’ve got for you,It’s just a speck.
Style Invitational Week 1419: Send us the bill — our ‘joint legislation’ contest | Pat Myers | January 14, 2021 | Washington PostHundreds of specks appear clustered beyond Neptune, a hint that something up to 10 times as massive as Earth might lie beyond.
That star was no longer an anonymous speck floating in a vast uncharted sea.
Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened? | Lisa Grossman | November 29, 2020 | Science NewsAn atomic nucleus is a vanishingly small speck at the core of a comparatively vast atom.
Some of these negatively charged electrons will be absorbed by the surrounding specks of dust.
This high-tech sweeper is designed for super-clingy moon dust | Jack J. Lee | October 13, 2020 | Science News For Students
“I think you'd make a great city planner just based on what you've learned from designing this game,” speck tells Librande.
SimCity Is Smarter Than You (Even If You’re an Urban Planner) | Josh Dzieza | February 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“I think about design, but I'm not operating on a scale where I'm thinking about power production,” says speck.
SimCity Is Smarter Than You (Even If You’re an Urban Planner) | Josh Dzieza | February 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTDick pointed to a black speck on the water, a considerable distance ahead of them.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. BallantyneNigger, as his name implied, was a magnificent coal-black animal without a speck of white upon him anywhere.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Laura Lee HopeThey came to a turn in the passage and for a moment a little speck of light showed ahead of them.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O | Clair BlankThe upper edge of the sun was just visible above the horizon, gleaming through the haze like a speck of ruddy fire.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. BallantyneOne of the officers instantly went to the top with his binocular, bringing it to bear on a small, far distant speck on the ocean.
Young Glory and the Spanish Cruiser | Walter Fenton Mott
British Dictionary definitions for speck
/ (spɛk) /
a very small mark or spot
a small or tiny piece of something
(tr) to mark with specks or spots
Origin of speck
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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