speckle

1 of 2

noun

speck·​le ˈspe-kəl 

: a little speck (as of color)

speckle

2 of 2

verb

speckled; speckling ˈspe-k(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to mark with speckles

2

: to be distributed in or on like speckles

Synonyms

Noun

• blotch
• dapple
• dot
• eyespot
• fleck
• mottle
• patch
• pip
• point
• speck
• splotch
• spot

Verb

• blotch
• dapple
• dot
• fleck
• freckle
• marble
• mottle
• pepper
• shoot
• speck
• splotch
• spot
• sprinkle
• stipple

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

Noun

The key disadvantages are laser speckle and the tendency to show fringe colors around white areas, including text in movie credits. —PCMAG, 18 Jan. 2025

Snow on the Mountain, a pole lima whose maroon beans are capped with white speckles, was handed down between members of a Louisiana family, generation to generation, since the 1880s. —Margaret Roach, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025

Verb

The current information climate, one defined by declining trust in traditional media and rapid-fire social media posts speckled with inauthentic content online, seems to be making situations like this worse. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2024

The understory of the ponderosa and sugar pine forest was speckled with manzanita, oak trees and dogwoods with yellow leaves, marking the start of fall. —Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing speckle

• speckle interferometry

Kids Definition

speckle

1 of 2 noun

speck·​le ˈspek-əl 

: a small mark (as of color)

speckle

2 of 2 verb

speckled; speckling ˈspek-(ə-)liŋ 

: to mark with speckles