dot

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a small spot : speck entry 1
2
: a small round mark: such as
a(1)
: a small point made with a pointed instrument
a dot on the chart marked the ship's position
(2)
: a small round mark used in orthography or punctuation
put a dot over the i
b
: a centered point used as a multiplication sign (as in 6 · 5 = 30)
c(1)
: a point after a note or rest in music indicating augmentation of the time value by one half
(2)
: a point over or under a note indicating that it is to be played staccato
3
: a precise point especially in time
arrived at six on the dot
4
: a short click or buzz forming a letter or part of a letter (as in the Morse code)
5
: a point used to separate components of an address on the Internet

dot

2 of 4

verb

dotted; dotting

transitive verb

1
: to mark with a dot
2
: to intersperse with dots or objects scattered at random
boats dotting the lake

intransitive verb

: to make a dot
dotter noun

dot

3 of 4

noun (2)

DOT

4 of 4

abbreviation

Department of Transportation

Examples of dot in a Sentence

Noun (1) there was just a dot on the tablecloth where the food had spattered Verb Don't forget to dot the i. Quaint cottages dot the countryside. The fields were dotted with wildflowers. Dot the cream all over your face.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Lack of agents One of the main reasons the Shin Bet did not connect the dots before Oct. 7 was the difficulty in recruiting agents and intelligence sources on the ground in Gaza, says Mr. Melman, the author. Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025 Because the moons appear mostly as just little white dots on a black background in the photos taken of them, astronomers don't know much about the moons' characteristics yet. Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
There are some 2,000 elk on the property and several lodges dotting the grounds, as well as two heated helicopter pads for year-round use. Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 13 Mar. 2025 More than 80% of the 117 Seven Mile Drive properties dot the perimeter of the Dye’s Valley Course, brainchild of designers Pete Dye, Bobby Weed and 1982 Players champion Jerry Pate. Jack Bantock, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dot

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English *dot, from Old English dott head of a boil; akin to Old High German tutta nipple

Noun (2)

French, from Latin dot-, dos dowry

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1740, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dot was in 1596

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dot. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

dot

1 of 2 noun
1
: a small spot : speck
2
: a small round mark made with or as if with a pen: as
a
: a point after a note or rest in music indicating increase of the time value by one half
b
: a centered dot · used as a sign of multiplication
3
: an exact point in time or space
arrived at six on the dot
4
: a short click or buzz forming a letter or part of a letter (as in the Morse code)

dot

2 of 2 verb
dotted; dotting
1
: to mark with a dot
dot an "i"
2
: to cover with or as if with dots
green buds dotted the branches
dotter noun

Medical Definition

dot

noun
: a small spot or speck see maurer's dots, schuffner's dots

Legal Definition

DOT

abbreviation

More from Merriam-Webster on dot

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