fleck
Americannoun
-
a speck; a small bit.
a fleck of dirt.
-
a spot or small patch of color, light, etc..
the dapple mare with flecks of gray.
-
a spot or mark on the skin, as a freckle.
verb (used with object)
-
flecks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flecked,
past participle, past
-
flecking
present participle
noun
-
a small marking or streak; speckle
-
a small particle; speck
a fleck of dust
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
flecksimple
-
fleckssimple
-
have fleckedperfect
-
has fleckedperfect
-
am fleckingprogressive
-
are fleckingprogressive
-
is fleckingprogressive
-
have been fleckingperfect progressive
-
has been fleckingperfect progressive
Past
-
fleckedsimple
-
had fleckedperfect
-
was fleckingprogressive
-
were fleckingprogressive
-
had been fleckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fleck
1350–1400; Middle English flekked spotted; akin to Old Norse flekkr spot, streak, Old High German flec ( German Fleck ), Middle Low German, Middle Dutch vlecken to soil
Explanation
A fleck is a small patch that is different and stands out from the background, like the flecks of green in your blue eyes. A fleck can also be a fragment of something, like the flecks of peeling paint you might see on the floor in an old building. The noun fleck can describe a color or a spot of light that stands out, like a fleck of orange in a brown and white plaid, or the little bits of light reflected off a sequined top. It can also describe a particle, such as a fleck of dirt you track into your house on your shoe. Fleck can also be a verb that means dotting or marking something with little spots, like when you fleck paint on the wall to produce a random dotted effect.
Vocabulary lists containing fleck
The House on Mango Street
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Number the Stars
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
A nanoparticle is a fleck of material ranging in size approximately between 1 and 100 nanometers.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
When they dialed the pressure back up to as little as 0.3 gigapascals, the blue fleck turned pink as the electrical resistance plunged to zero.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 8, 2023
Strands of golden, fried bean curd fleck their exterior like a shell, adding crunch.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
It’s an economy that makes me feel like the zillionth scampering fleck in some global ant farm.
From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2022
There was a fleck of manticore blood on her cheek.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Oversized disco balls hung overhead, casting flecks of light onto the couches, which were shaped like the brand’s beloved Texas toast.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Bone Sine in Portland, Ore., flecks its mix of nuts and chana dal with ground lime leaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Sometimes a flaky crust, a sticky-sweet filling, and a few zesty flecks of orange are enough to do the trick.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2025
A real pan with flecks of red is at her feet, and his painted legs are upended into the real fridge-freezer that Banksy left by the wall.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2025
But the kitchen light sparked flecks of fool's gold stars, and out of the waves burst hand-painted shells, white and pink, the kind my mother loved.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
Family, friends and neighbors filled the frames with dancing and dominoes; their apartments painted in shades of mint, butter yellow and palomino pink, flecked with a patina cultivated by humidity and time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
During the nearly hourlong call, Regan spoke quickly and confidently, detailing his investment strategy and professional credentials—many of them fabricated—in a soothing voice flecked with humor and references to his faith in God.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Squares of focaccia, still plush in the center and flecked with rosemary and fat flakes of sea salt.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2025
Video clips from the fateful 1994 rally show Colosio, his curly black hair flecked with confetti, shaking hands and signing autographs as he winds his way through a gleeful political crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
Judy noticed Mrs. Granger’s eyes right away—gray maybe flecked with a little gold, and very sharp, but not hard or mean.
From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements
In person, Slaiby — his hair cropped high, gray hairs flecking his beard — is all business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
Basinski began digitising the old tape loops, but bits of the tape’s metal surface starting flecking off.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 10, 2019
For starters, the police and all they survey in their bleak precinct are in desperate straits, even down to the paint flecking off the station house’s walls.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2013
Last week, with gold flecking the trees and black flecking the skies, the Terre Haute Crow Patrol mustered once again.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2011
That spring morning she had flown over the sea with her bare feet skimming the water, her boots in her pockets, the ocean spray flecking her ankles, laughing with the speed and joy of it.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
