dot
1a small, roundish mark made with or as if with a pen.
a minute or small spot on a surface; speck: There were dots of soot on the windowsill.
anything relatively small or specklike.
a small specimen, section, amount, or portion: a dot of butter.
a period, especially as used when pronouncing an internet address.
Music.
a point placed after a note or rest, to indicate that the duration of the note or rest is to be increased one half. A double dot further increases the duration by one half the value of the single dot.
a point placed under or over a note to indicate that it is to be played staccato.
Telegraphy. a signal of shorter duration than a dash, used in groups along with groups of dashes and spaces to represent letters, as in Morse code.
Printing. an individual element in a halftone reproduction.
to mark with or as if with a dot or dots.
to stud or diversify with or as if with dots: Trees dot the landscape.
to form or cover with dots: He dotted a line across the page.
Cooking. to sprinkle with dabs of butter, margarine, or the like: Dot the filling with butter.
to make a dot or dots.
Idioms about dot
dot one's i's and cross one's t's, to be meticulous or precise, even to the smallest detail.
on the dot, Informal. precisely; exactly at the time specified: The guests arrived at eight o'clock on the dot.
the year dot, British Informal. very long ago.
Origin of dot
1Other words from dot
- dotlike, adjective
- dotter, noun
Other definitions for dot (2 of 4)
Origin of dot
2Other words from dot
- do·tal [doht-l], /ˈdoʊt l/, adjective
Other definitions for DOT (4 of 4)
damage over time: (in a video game) an attack that results in light or moderate damage when it is dealt, but that wounds or weakens the receiving character, who continues to lose health in small increments for a specified period of time, or until healed by a spell, potion, etc.
Dictionary of Occupational Titles: reference book formerly published by the Department of Labor with job titles, descriptions, and official classifications, discontinued in 1999 and replaced by the online Occupational Informational Network.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dot in a sentence
May is seen smiling in a suit and red bowtie with white polka dots in his profile photo.
Several times, young men approached police only to have red dots from sniper rifles painted onto their chests.
'Go Ahead and Shoot Me': The Veteran Who Defied Ferguson's Cops | Justin Glawe | August 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTConnect the dots Understanding is the basis for easier memorization.
Repetition Doesn’t Work: Better Ways to Train Your Memory | Gregory Ferenstein | July 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut now, thanks to Putin, he thinks he may have a chance to connect all those dots.
Ted, the toddler, appeared onscreen in a black bathing suit with white polka dots.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’ | Eileen Cronin | April 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A few, very few, little dots had run back over that green patch—the others had passed down into the world of darkness.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonTherefore, I smoked my cigarette without misgiving, and kept close watch for bobbing black dots against the far-flung green.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThe figures, besides being outlined by the dots, were decorated all over with the same pigment in dotted transverse belts.
His face has three little dots, two black ones for the eyes, and one red one for the mouth.
Marguerite | Anatole FranceThen I seemed to see a row of black dots appear along that ridge—human heads?
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
British Dictionary definitions for dot (1 of 2)
/ (dɒt) /
a small round mark made with or as with a pen, etc; spot; speck; point
anything resembling a dot; a small amount: a dot of paint
the mark (˙) that appears above the main stem of the letters i, j
music
the symbol (·) placed after a note or rest to increase its time value by half
this symbol written above or below a note indicating that it must be played or sung staccato
maths logic
the symbol (.) indicating multiplication or logical conjunction
a decimal point
the symbol (·) used, in combination with the symbol for dash (–), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes: Compare dit
the year dot informal as long ago as can be remembered
on the dot at exactly the arranged time
(tr) to mark or form with a dot: to dot a letter; a dotted crotchet
(tr) to scatter or intersperse (with dots or something resembling dots): bushes dotting the plain
(intr) to make a dot or dots
dot one's i's and cross one's t's to pay meticulous attention to detail
Origin of dot
1Derived forms of dot
- dotter, noun
British Dictionary definitions for dot (2 of 2)
/ (dɒt) /
civil law a woman's dowry
Origin of dot
2Derived forms of dot
- dotal (ˈdəʊtəl), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for dot
[ dŏt ]
A symbol (·) indicating multiplication, as in 2 · 4 = 8. It is used to indicate the dot product of vectors, for example A · B.
A period, as used as in URLs and e-mail addresses, to separate strings of words, as in www.hmco.com.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with dot
In addition to the idiom beginning with dot
- dot the i's and cross the t's
also see:
- on the dot
- sign on the dotted line
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse