freckle
Americannoun
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one of the small, brownish spots on the skin that are caused by deposition of pigment and that increase in number and darken on exposure to sunlight; lentigo.
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any small spot or discoloration.
freckles of paint spattered on the floor.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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Technical name: lentigo. a small brownish spot on the skin: a localized deposit of the pigment melanin, developed by exposure to sunlight
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any small area of discoloration; a spot
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slang the anus
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have freckledperfect
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has freckledperfect 3rd person singular
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are frecklingprogressive
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am frecklingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been frecklingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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frecklingparticiple
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have been frecklingperfect progressive
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is frecklingprogressive 3rd person singular
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frecklessingular 3rd person
Past
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had freckledperfect
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was frecklingprogressive singular
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freckledsimple
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freckledparticiple
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were frecklingprogressive plural
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had been frecklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of freckle
1350–1400; blend of obsolete frecken freckle ( Middle English frekne < Old Norse *frekna; compare freknōttr speckled, Norwegian, Icelandic frekna, Swedish fräkna freckle) and speckle (noun)
Explanation
A freckle is a small, brownish spot on the skin. You might have a few freckles on your nose, or a lot of freckles across your shoulders and arms. Most babies don't have any freckles, but people who are genetically predisposed to them and spend time in the sun tend to get freckles as children. People with pale skin, and sometimes red hair, have a tendency to get freckles and are more vulnerable to the sun's UV rays. If you have freckles, you should definitely use sunblock. When new freckles appear, you can say that you freckle.
Vocabulary lists containing freckle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The doctor was looking at each freckle with a magnifying glass,” she wrote.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2024
I can feel the backs of my knees burn and I can see my otherwise monochrome shoulders freckle if I’m outside for a bit too long.
From Scientific American • Sep. 8, 2023
These Polynesian islands — a freckle, invisible on many maps — make up the world's fourth smallest nation, population around 12,000 and a land size of ten square miles.
From Salon • Dec. 3, 2022
To those who encounter this magical bird, not only is a wish granted, but a golden freckle, like a sparkly skin blemish, is also deposited somewhere on their faces.
From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2022
Had she always had that tiny freckle next to her left eye?
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
