dot
noun
a small, roundish mark made with or as if with a pen.
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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.
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Acronyms dictionary results for DOT.
dot
1 American
[dot]
/ dɒt /
noun
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a small, roundish mark made with or as if with a pen.
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a minute or small spot on a surface; speck.
There were dots of soot on the windowsill.
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anything relatively small or specklike.
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a small specimen, section, amount, or portion.
a dot of butter.
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a period, especially as used when pronouncing an internet address.
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Music.
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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.
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a point placed under or over a note to indicate that it is to be played staccato.
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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.
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Printing. an individual element in a halftone reproduction.
verb (used with object)
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dots,
present (3rd person singular)
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dotted,
past participle, past
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dotting
present participle
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to mark with or as if with a dot or dots.
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to stud or diversify with or as if with dots.
Trees dot the landscape.
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to form or cover with dots.
He dotted a line across the page.
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Cooking. to sprinkle with dabs of butter, margarine, or the like.
Dot the filling with butter.
verb (used without object)
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dots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dotted,
past participle, past
-
dotting
present participle
idioms
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on the dot, precisely; exactly at the time specified.
The guests arrived at eight o'clock on the dot.
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the year dot, very long ago.
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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
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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.
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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
-
a small round mark made with or as with a pen, etc; spot; speck; point
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anything resembling a dot; a small amount
a dot of paint
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the mark (˙) that appears above the main stem of the letters i, j
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music
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the symbol (·) placed after a note or rest to increase its time value by half
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this symbol written above or below a note indicating that it must be played or sung staccato
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maths logic
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the symbol (.) indicating multiplication or logical conjunction
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a decimal point
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the symbol (·) used, in combination with the symbol for dash (–), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes Compare dit
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informal as long ago as can be remembered
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at exactly the arranged time
verb
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(tr) to mark or form with a dot
to dot a letter
a dotted crotchet
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(tr) to scatter or intersperse (with dots or something resembling dots)
bushes dotting the plain
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(intr) to make a dot or dots
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to pay meticulous attention to detail
dot
2
British
/ dɒt /
noun
dot
Scientific
/ dŏt /
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A symbol (·) indicating multiplication, as in 2 · 4 = 8. It is used to indicate the dot product of vectors, for example A · B.
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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
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dotsimple
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dotssimple
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have dottedperfect
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has dottedperfect
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am dottingprogressive
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are dottingprogressive
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is dottingprogressive
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have been dottingperfect progressive
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has been dottingperfect progressive
Past
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dottedsimple
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had dottedperfect
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was dottingprogressive
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were dottingprogressive
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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 dot plot signals one further hike this year and leaves open the possibility of another in 2027,” the chief rates strategist says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Fed on Wednesday raised its rates for the first time in three years, as widely expected, with most of officials penciling in one more hike this year via its dot plot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Seeking an answer, investors on Wednesday will turn to the dot plot to try to discern the Fed’s forecast for its benchmark short-term interest rate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The dot plot also suggested that the Fed was likely to reverse course in 2027 and cut rates slightly.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
It’s almost noon, and JP always says his sugar drops drastically if he doesn’t eat at exactly twelve on the dot.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Her feature film debut came in 1998, when she voiced Princess Dot in “A Bug’s Life.”
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The company last year rolled out its own autonomous delivery robot called Dot, which fulfills orders in the Phoenix area and Fremont, Calif.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The fictional Queen Vic where Dot once drank in Albert Square is seemingly a world away from the sleepy former mining village in the Gwendraeth Valley.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
What do a dragon, rugby player, miner and Dot Cotton have in common?
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
During that time I became friendly with a woman named Dot Vaughan and her family, who lived across the street from my parents’ house during the summers.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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
The DOT fined United in 2019 for providing inaccurate information to passengers about how much they are owed in delayed, lost or damaged baggage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
The DOT declined to make Duffy available for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
"It is necessary to find you a husband, is it not, and nowadays one does not find them easily when there is no DOT."
From Jeanne of the Marshes by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
The dots in the so-called dot plot, that is.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Their basic needs are eating and feeling safe, and they’ll connect the dots that you’re the one providing those things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
"We could see these black dots coming down from the side of each building and we wondered what it was," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Mr. Boyagoda is only partially successful at teasing out these themes and connecting the dots of a very complicated plot with a large cast of characters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Fig chittered, his head bouncing from side to side, following the dancing dots.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
In a region dotted with Southern Baptist churches, county leaders have historically focused on small government, constraining taxes and supporting police.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"If I'm making a decision that is highly likely to be in legal challenge, I want to make sure I've dotted my i's and crossed my t's," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
A captivating, welcoming and family-friendly space, with some jaw-dropping views, a cafe and a gorgeous rooftop fine-dining restaurant, not to mention an 11-acre garden, dotted with statuary and fountains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Such trends were in plain sight in Tor Bella Monaca, a working-class eastern suburb of Rome dotted by rundown apartment blocks, cash-for-gold shops and discount stores.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
One of the many private homes that dotted the mountainside.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
In one of our final negotiation sessions, when we’re supposed to be dotting i’s and crossing t’s, he worries aloud about how these two vastly different companies are going to mesh their different cultures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“No matter what the federal government was doing, they knew that if they weren’t dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s, they were going to get called to account,” Hilton said.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
But not to be outdone by his opposite number, Jordan hit back for the hosts with a fine finish, dotting down in the corner despite Theo Attissogbe's last-ditch attempt to shove him into touch.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Traci Park won the Los Angeles City Council’s 11th District seat in 2022 on a promise to clean up the rising number of homeless encampments dotting the affluent Westside district.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He tries it in various styles, his hand unaccustomed to the angles of the N, the dotting of the two i’s.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
