dapple
Americannoun
-
a spot or mottled marking, usually occurring in clusters.
-
an animal with a mottled skin or coat.
adjective
verb (used with or without object)
-
dapples,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dappled,
past participle, past
-
dappling
present participle
verb
noun
-
mottled or spotted markings
-
a dappled horse, etc
adjective
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dapplesimple
-
dapplessimple
-
have dappledperfect
-
has dappledperfect
-
am dapplingprogressive
-
are dapplingprogressive
-
is dapplingprogressive
-
have been dapplingperfect progressive
-
has been dapplingperfect progressive
Past
-
dappledsimple
-
had dappledperfect
-
was dapplingprogressive
-
were dapplingprogressive
-
had been dapplingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dapple
First recorded in 1545–55; probably back formation from dappled
Explanation
To dapple is to dot with blotches of color or light, the way sunlight dapples the leaves of trees in the summertime. You can use dapple as a verb or a noun: "I saw a dapple of yellow paint on the floor after I finished painting my bedroom wall." Writers often describe the way sunshine and moonlight dapple things, forming irregular spots and patches. Sometimes animal fur or skin is described as dappled, or a color such as dapple-gray, an adjective which—strangely enough—was originally apple-gray.
Vocabulary lists containing dapple
Much Ado About Nothing
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The Cuckoo's Calling
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Into the Wild
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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.
See Examples For:
Every time he touches her, the rest of the world seems to disappear: The focus goes shallow, the fine hairs on Brie’s skin dapple in the light, her muscles creak as loudly as tectonic plates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025
So when the rain comes, it doesn't just dapple us with light sprinkles, it drops the heavier load of moisture that has been accumulating for a longer time.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2023
Gleaming spots caused by methane ice clouds in the planet's atmosphere dapple its lower half.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 20, 2022
A dapple of scarlet lamplight shone through the holes, giving the space the ambience of an illicit cathedral.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2018
He remembered the cheers of the Sons of the Six all around him, whooping and tossing their spears high as the first hints of true, unfiltered sunlight began to dapple the ground before them.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Does your manic pixie dream girl complex fantasize about an ethereal-looking stranger mesmerized in reverie as they gaze upon the dapples of fluorescent Tom Bradley terminal lights reflecting off this sumptuously swamp-hued fabric?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
I like the little dapples of light, too.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
Pink natural light dapples a river in one composition, while reflections of house lamps streak a dark lake in another.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 17, 2021
Her voice shines like dapples of pale moonlight, and is especially arresting in moments of ambling melancholy.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2021
As she reaches for it, she watches the way the light slips through the heavy pine needles, dapples everything with sweet September light .
From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
It wasn’t all that long ago that restaurants and bars around the country were dappled in the glow of cigarettes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
I lay on my back and stared at a bright blue painted sky, dappled with puffy clouds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The evening is lightly dappled with personal or informative patter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
In a woodland glade, in dappled sunshine, Sharron and Glen Markey are arm-in-arm beside the tree they planted in memory of their beloved 17-year-old daughter, Helena, their only child.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
With a sigh of pure happiness, Tendai lay back on the flat rock and let the dappled sunlight play over his face.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
When you assemble the dessert into bowls and start dappling each island with caramel and toasted sliced almonds, your friends will begin to hover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
"Wouldn't it be useful for English speakers to have a specific word for sunlight dappling through leaves... Or a word for the action of sitting outside enjoying a beer?"
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2025
I stepped through the door, surveying the late-summer light dappling the antique wood floors.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2024
Holding up a colander can also project the partial eclipse onto the ground, as can looking at sunlight dappling through a tree’s leaves, or through your fingers aligned perpendicularly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
A splattering of white on one corner of each building mimicked the dappling of sun on the water.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
