speckle

1 of 2

noun

speck·​le ˈspe-kəl How to pronounce speckle (audio)
: a little speck (as of color)

speckle

2 of 2

verb

speckled; speckling ˈspe-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce speckle (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to mark with speckles
2
: to be distributed in or on like speckles

Examples of speckle in a Sentence

Noun a ripe banana with lots of brown speckles the cat has a speckle of orange right at her whiskers Verb speckled the cookies with colored sugar
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
With a super-bright laser light engine, image speckle, as in grainy, shimmering artifacts, can become an issue. Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 The brick wall of the slanted building behind us shone white, and speckles of shadows played over the table when the wind swept through the foliage above us. Karl Ove Knausgaard, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
The bar serves small bites from chef Jesus Martinez, including melty chicken and tomatillo salsa tamales, and a sea bass ceviche speckled with slivers of habanero pepper served atop velvety leche de tigre. Kristin Braswell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 May 2025 The Dalarna region is Sweden at its best, with dense forests speckling the landscape, a web of foot trails, dramatic waterfalls, gentle slopes for hiking and skiing, and placid lakes, including one of the country’s largest, Lake Siljan. Jeanine Barone, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for speckle

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English; akin to Old English specca

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of speckle was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Speckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speckle. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

speckle

1 of 2 noun
speck·​le ˈspek-əl How to pronounce speckle (audio)
: a small mark (as of color)

speckle

2 of 2 verb
speckled; speckling ˈspek-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce speckle (audio)
: to mark with speckles
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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