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

speck

noun
 
/spek/
 
/spek/
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  1. 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 markmarkstain ▪ 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 DictionarySpeck is used after these nouns:
    • dirt
    See full entry
    Word OriginOld English specca; compare with the noun speckle.
See speck in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: speck

Nearby words

influence
verb
 
 
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