Definition of speck noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

speck

noun

/spek/

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a very small spot; a small piece of dirt, etc.
- The ship was now just a speck in the distance.
- There isn't a speck of dust anywhere in the house.
- Each speck of light is a planetary system.
Synonyms mark
markstain ▪ fingerprint ▪ streak ▪ speck ▪ blot ▪ smear ▪ spotThese are all words for a small area of dirt or another substance on a surface.
mark a small area of dirt, a spot or a cut on a surface that makes it look less good:
The kids left dirty marks all over the kitchen floor.
stain a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a liquid:
blood stains
fingerprint a mark on a surface made by the pattern of lines on the end of a person’s finger, often used by the police to identify criminals:
Her fingerprints were all over the gun.
streak a long, thin mark or line that is a different colour from the surface it is on:
She had streaks of grey in her hair.
speck a very small mark, spot or piece of a substance on something:
There isn’t a speck of dust anywhere in the house.
blot a spot or dirty mark left on something by a substance such as ink or paint being dropped on a surfacesmear a mark made by something such as oil or paint being spread or rubbed on a surfacespot a small dirty mark on something:
There were grease spots all over the walls.
Patterns
- a streak/speck/blot/smear/spot of something
- a greasy mark/stain/smear
- an ink mark/stain/blot/spot
- a grease mark/stain/spot
- to leave a mark/stain/fingerprint/streak/speck/blot/smear
Extra Examples
- Specks of grease spotted the walls.
- The bird has reddish specks on its breast.
- There wasn't a speck of dirt anywhere.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
Speck is used after these nouns:
dirt
See full entry
Word OriginOld English specca; compare with the noun speckle.

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See speck in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Nearby words

ripple effect

noun

From the Topic

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