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:
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
He was also vicious on the pull, hit classically through the covers and, when Ben Duckett was bowled in the second over and Root faced 13 dot balls in a row, did not panic.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
The Fed’s dot plot, he notes, shows one more rate hike this year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Each dot adds half the length that the dot before it added.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
I emphasize I only did this for journalism and declined to name my Dot.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
For example, developers can use a Dot to run tasks in Codex.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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
Judging by the giggles, it was probably that Dot.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Travelers who pay a fee for advance seat selection or seat upgrades are entitled to a refund if the seat is unavailable due to no fault of their own, the DOT says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Plus, the DOT moves to spare space companies from environmental reviews, and long live British politics’ ‘Hot Podium Guy.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 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
"That's the DOT," he remarked in a low voice to Ned, "Miss Nestor's cousin's boat."
From Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat, or, the Rivals of Lake Carlopa by Victor [pseud.] Appleton
A third story set in modern-day Spain connects the dots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 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
When I sat down with Neko’s clinician, I was reminded that my regular physician is good at connecting the dots.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
However, integrating the new dots onto a device "seems like a very reasonable thing to assume we may do someday," Altman said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
She lets the curtain fall once he has entered, leaving them enclosed in darkness studded with dimly sparkling lights, the glowing tip of her cigarette the one spot of color amongst the dots of white.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Their shirts and pants are dotted with holes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
He dotted the upper rail with his fastball, threw his curveball for both swing-and-miss and called strikes, and mixed in his changeup to right-handed batters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Pope mania is in evidence throughout Chiclayo, which is dotted with murals of the Augustinian friar.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Geological evidence and plant fossils show that the Triassic landscape of Kariba was dry and dotted with stands of large conifer trees, with green corridors of vegetation following permanent watercourses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Looking inland, he saw grassy hills dotted with trees.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
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
Should boomtowns dotting the new market be expected to shrink back into villages—or less?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
This camp, and countless others dotting the country, house millions of Syrians whose homes still lie in utter ruin.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
A brilliant dawn broke through the morning dew, caressed every shadow, and lifted the fog to reveal a floor of white clouds dotting an azure sky.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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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.
