as in blotch
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part a tie having eyespots of blue on a light gray background

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Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of eyespot Peacock butterflies are distinguished by a series of striking eyespots on their wings, which serve to threaten or confuse potential predators. Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024 But why did some lineages evolve shell eyes rather than eyespots? Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 First, red eyespots appear; then the amorphous bodies coalesce and darken into their ferocious adult forms. Nala Rogers, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 Their long hindwing tails and eyespots combine to give them a look resembling an elephant’s face. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023 First, Rowland and her co-author trained chicks to attack a mealworm hidden behind a paper printout of two eyespots at the end of a runway. Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2023 Lacewings are among the first creatures known to have had eyespots. Jakob Vinther, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2017 Perhaps the most dramatic pattern to emerge during this time was the eyespot, a marking that resembles the eye of a different kind of animal and serves to startle predators approaching their prey at speed from a distance. Jakob Vinther, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2017 Normally, the eyespot fades as the fish matures. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 Aug. 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eyespot
Noun
  • The horse chestnut leaf blotch pathogen overwinters as fruiting bodies in leaves infected during the previous season.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2024
  • This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The light from numerous background stars, seen as orange dots behind the cloud, can be used to detect ices in the cloud, which absorb the starlight passing through them.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Doe's story represents one small dot in a constellation of legal challenges faced by Combs, who is now awaiting trial in federal prison.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • There were also no visible specks of spices like the Shamrock nog.
    Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024
  • But a break in the case finally came in 2002 when the Contra Costa County forensic lab matched DNA in Kemp’s hair with the genetic makeup of a speck of blood found on one of Wiltsey’s fingernails.
    Jason Green, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • These updates often include important security patches that protect against new vulnerabilities exploited by hackers.
    Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Thankfully, developer NetEase has been hard at work on improving the game, and the first major post-launch patch is now available.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The other side: But concerns over water fluoridation have included fluorosis, when growing teeth are exposed to too much fluoride and develop white flecks or spots, and reduced IQ in children.
    Kale Williams, Axios, 25 Nov. 2024
  • The agency set this recommendation based on the need for cavity prevention balanced against the risk of fluorosis, when excess fluoride exposure in young children affects the outer appearance of teeth, manifesting as white flecks, spots or lines.
    Joseph Choi, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near eyespot

Cite this Entry

“Eyespot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eyespot. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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