dot
noun
a small, roundish mark made with or as if with a pen.
Showing results for "dot"
Jump To:
-
dot
- Dot
-
DOT
DOTabbreviationdamage 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.
SEE ALSO:
Acronyms dictionary results for DOT.
dot
1 American
[dot]
/ dɒt /
noun
-
a 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.
verb (used with object)
-
dots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dotted,
past participle, past
-
dotting
present participle
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
dots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dotted,
past participle, past
-
dotting
present participle
idioms
-
on the dot, precisely; exactly at the time specified.
The guests arrived at eight o'clock on the dot.
-
the year dot, very long ago.
-
dot one's i's and cross one's t's, to be meticulous or precise, even to the smallest detail.
dot
2
American
[dot, dawt]
/ dɒt, dɔt /
noun
Civil Law.
Dot
3
American
[dot]
/ dɒt /
noun
DOT
4
American
abbreviation
-
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.
dot
1
British
/ dɒt /
noun
dot
2
British
/ dɒt /
noun
-
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
-
informal as long ago as can be remembered
-
at exactly the arranged time
verb
-
(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
-
to pay meticulous attention to detail
dot
Scientific
/ 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.
dot
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dotsimple
-
dotssimple
-
have dottedperfect
-
has dottedperfect
-
am dottingprogressive
-
are dottingprogressive
-
is dottingprogressive
-
have been dottingperfect progressive
-
has been dottingperfect progressive
Past
-
dottedsimple
-
had dottedperfect
-
was dottingprogressive
-
were dottingprogressive
-
had been dottingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dot1
First recorded before 1000; perhaps to be identified with Old English dott “head of a boil,” though not attested in Middle English; cf. dottle, dit, derivative of Old English dyttan “to stop up” (probably derivative of dott ); cognate with Old High German tutta “nipple”
Origin of dot2
First recorded in 1820–25; from French, from Latin dōtem, accusative of dōs “dowry,” akin to dare “to give”
Explanation
A dot is a round speck or spot. A first grade teacher might remind his students to put dots on their is and js. A period, a little circle or point, is a dot. Another kind is a polka dot, which might decorate your favorite pair of shorts or the curtains in your room. In Morse code, a dot is a short signal, as opposed to the longer "dash." When you recite your website's URL, you might end with "dot com." As a verb, to dot is to mark something with a dot: "You forgot to dot your is!"
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:
The many interactive exhibits that dot the new building’s 200,000 square feet of gallery space are geared to entice and educate people of all ages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The dot plot reveals individual Fed officials’ interest-rate outlooks, but it was only the first draft of a project that was supposed to evolve into something more informative and better.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Actors dot the lobby, doing vocal warm-ups between mini panic attacks and greeting old friends from past shows.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Now, there are still some t’s to cross and i’s to dot.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
Mosley rang Michael’s doorbell at noon on the dot.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“If you designed your Muse avatar or if you designed your Dot in the likeness of your pet, perhaps you would feel a little bit more forgiving if your pet coughs up a hairball, right?”
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
On Tuesday, while Zuckerberg was at the White House for a summit of AI leaders, Wang was focused on a different threat: OpenAI’s new Muse competitor, a personal AI agent called Dot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Users can only have one Dot agent, although the company plans to allow access to teams of agents in the future.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Her feature film debut came in 1998, when she voiced Princess Dot in “A Bug’s Life.”
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Me and the gang were playing marbles in front of my house when Dot came storming up.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
For domestic flights and international departures on U.S. airlines, you’ll be covered by DOT rules and basically have two choices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
“When a company intentionally chooses to deepen operational dependencies on strategic competitors, it fails to act as the reliable partner the American public and this DOT require,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
But if you opt for a refund, it can be sent in the form of a flight credit or a cash refund, according to DOT rules.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
But Ben Brake, director general of DOT Europe, whose members include Amazon and Apple, said "retaliating against US corporations in response to trade disputes will neither drive innovation nor strengthen Europe's competitiveness".
From Barron's ● May 30, 2026
DOT: To make the dot, swing the flag down to the right until the stick reaches the horizontal and bring it back to Position.
From Scouting For Girls, Official Handbook of the Girl Scouts by Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon
Those that cause strong ionization leave continuous, sharply defined lines, while particles that produce weaker ionization may appear as scattered, disconnected dots.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
The city’s side said it connected the dots on the Moreno Valley case only after the lawsuit was filed against Inglewood and WOW Media last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
By the latter part of the year, like now, markets give the dots unusual weight.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Items include a Standing Explosion hoodie, a quarter-zip covered in red-and-blue Ben-Day dots, and a “Sweet Dreams, Baby!” cap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
She inspects the clipping, the dots that appeared when I warmed the paper.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The gate opens onto a serene work compound dotted by cacti and palm trees with a glittering swimming pool at its center—the scene of one of Poehler’s more bracing work failures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Once, Kao held a company town hall using a map of the U.S. dotted with future Navatek offices as his backdrop, a former employee recalled.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The size of the Swimmer Turbine is what sets it apart from large tidal projects dotted around Scottish waters.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Their shirts and pants are dotted with holes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Unlike the shadowy and dark First World, tiny islands where land beings could walk dotted the vast sheet of water.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Throughout the day, fans crossed the grounds in bright Latin American soccer jerseys, the eye-catching complementary greens and reds of Mexico and the rich blue of El Salvador dotting the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Of the 224 throughout the state, 140 populate central Ohio, dotting the city center through to the edges of suburban cities like New Albany and Dublin, according to Data Center Map.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Wales hit back almost immediately off line-out ball, Kelsey Jones finding Bethan Lewis before joining the back of the rolling maul and dotting down.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
Almost all of Mandalay's flattened or toppled residential buildings have been cleared away, some of them already rebuilt and others remaining as fenced-off empty lots dotting the city.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
It is late and the pavement is dark despite the streetlamps dotting the line of grey stone buildings.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
