splotch
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to be susceptible to stains or blots; show or retain stains, blots, or spots of dirt or liquid.
Don't buy that tablecloth—the material splotches easily.
-
to cause or be liable to cause stains, blots, or spots.
Be careful of that paint—it splotches.
noun
Other Word Forms
- splotchy adjective
Etymology
Origin of splotch
First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain
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.
About the size of my thumbprint, gray with white and black bands and a distinctive orange splotch on its wing, I almost missed it.
From National Geographic • Dec. 7, 2023
He held it defiantly, waiting for the camera to zoom in on his folded brown splotch.
From Slate • Dec. 1, 2023
Just a deep-red splotch on a scientist's map telling everyone it's hot out there, and perhaps a photo of birds washed up on a faraway beach to prove it.
From Salon • Aug. 12, 2023
“Here’s one,” said Pamela McKenzie, a researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, pointing a gloved finger at one tiny white splotch and then another.
From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2023
Lichens splotch the stone; leached minerals have left filigrees of stains.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
