freckle
Americannoun
-
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.
-
any small spot or discoloration.
freckles of paint spattered on the floor.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
Technical name: lentigo. a small brownish spot on the skin: a localized deposit of the pigment melanin, developed by exposure to sunlight
-
any small area of discoloration; a spot
-
slang the anus
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
frecklesimple
-
frecklessimple
-
have freckledperfect
-
has freckledperfect
-
am frecklingprogressive
-
are frecklingprogressive
-
is frecklingprogressive
-
have been frecklingperfect progressive
-
has been frecklingperfect progressive
Past
-
freckledsimple
-
had freckledperfect
-
was frecklingprogressive
-
were frecklingprogressive
-
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.
Irish Freckle Bread is a newer bake for me.
From Salon • Mar. 12, 2024
Less than half of elementary school students used Freckle, a math app that cost the district $2 million.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 8, 2023
“I just felt so inspired about the way that he sees the world,” Chastain observed about Lloyd, as she sat sipping water recently at Freckle Films’s office in Chelsea.
From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023
In 2016, Chastain started a production company, Freckle Films, which she has used to develop woman-centered projects.
From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2023
Then at last Freckle Frog was perfectly happy, and she laughed to herself and said: "It really doesn't matter about my being pretty any more, for every one likes me now!"
From How Freckle Frog Made Herself Pretty by Herr, Charlotte B. (Charlotte Bronte)
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.
