speck
Americannoun
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specks
plural
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a small spot differing in color or substance from that of the surface or material upon which it appears or lies.
Specks of soot on the window sill.
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a very little bit or particle.
We haven't a speck of sugar.
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something appearing small by comparison or by reason of distance.
By then the town was just a speck.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a very small mark or spot
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a small or tiny piece of something
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of speck
before 900; Middle English specke, Old English specca; cognate with Dutch spikkel
Explanation
A speck is a tiny patch or spot. At night, the stars look like glittering specks against the sky. And when you look up at the night sky, you might feel like a mere speck in the universe. A speck is a bit of color or light, or a very slight amount of something: "I'd like my eggs with lots of salt and just a speck of pepper." If you're extremely tidy, discovering specks of sand on your jeans after a walk on the beach might prompt you to change your clothes. Speck can be traced back to the Old English specca, "small spot or stain," but beyond that its origin remains a mystery.
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 new image captured on June 13, 2026, shows the rover as a tiny green speck against the Martian landscape, just one day before it officially reached the distance milestone.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
But it serves as an unwitting rebuke to Chávez’s ultimate place in L.A. — a speck in a rich tapestry that was around before him and will exist long after.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
As a character, Dalton’s only speck of depth comes from feeling ashamed about his temper, a rage that gets so hot it ruins his life.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Sitting at the workbench in front of a small jet of flame, Vittorio’s son, Davide, shaped a speck of glass into a delicate snail to add to the store’s collection of glass flora and fauna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Trying to stretch it out, give the tinker just enough to stay in the vicinity and not a speck more.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
People reported specks of black oil rained down on the streets after the attack, which also saw columns of thick smoke going into the sky.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
With the naked eye, they looked like sand-colored specks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2026
A bottle of Ice Age glacial water from the Czech mountains contains dazzling specks of 24‑carat gold.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
The production invoked the historical paintings of Hildegard’s visions as well as modern interpretations of them, using videos in which swirling specks of colored light coalesced into figures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
Sometimes in the light, little specks of gray peeked out behind her rose-gold highlights.
From "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson
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.
