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
Noun
This offers a bright accent and permanent speckles. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2024 Too much paint causes big splatters rather than small speckles. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2024 At night, Juruena snouted tree frogs have a lemon yellow coloring with some light brown speckles on their backs and noses. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 Sparkly Wild Berry bunnies are purple with red confetti, Cotton Candy chicks are pink with blue speckles, and Party Cake chicks are white with a whole rainbow of confetti colors. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2024 Interference between different modes can lead to random speckles in the light, degrading beam quality. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2023 The centerpiece of her outfit also featured speckles of white and red as well in a classic zigzag pattern. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 8 Jan. 2024 For a study published in September in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, scientists painted 640 fake wax froglets in several color schemes: green, like the adults; a bright, uniform red color matching that of the juveniles; and bright red with white speckles, like an actual froglet. Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 13 Dec. 2023 The lounging area towards the back of the store featured a large woven rug in a beige colorway with speckles of gray surrounded by mannequins wearing swimwear, artisanal fringe, and plissé sculptural dresses. Essence, 10 Nov. 2023
Verb
Discover unique handcrafted glass art, including this year’s signature solid glass eggs, speckled with glistening aventurine gold, along with whimsical sheep in a variety of styles for a limited time. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 The scenic riverfront is speckled with old-fashioned candy shops (pralines and salt water taffy, anyone?), cozy bookstores, and whimsical boutiques. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 At sunrise and sunset, the sea is speckled with surfers, some queuing to catch a wave, others clustering in groups around coaches. Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024 One of the world’s largest colonies nests at the east side of Bonaventure Island, and our hike ended at a high precipice with birds settled like snowflakes on every ledge, speckling the dark, rocky soil in their thousands. Nina Caplan, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2023 Part Two premiere in N.Y.C. 13 of 19 America Ferrera America Ferrera brought polka dots to life with this fun halter-neck dress speckled with round 3D tinsel adornments. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 Cattle still speckle the dwindling number of untouched ranches packed in between. Durrant and his wife, Pam, bought a home in the Spring Ranch subdivision in 2016. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Feb. 2024 The Housewives, standing off to the side, weren’t safe: Merce was out of the purse — and speckled onto their dresses, their faces, their hair. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 It is also speckled with sentimental value — much of which is linked to Howard’s grandmother. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speckle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near speckle

Cite this Entry

“Speckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speckle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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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