Meaning & use
dot
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Meanings
nouncountable
A tiny round mark or spot, such as the one over a lowercase i or at the end of a sentence.
Grammar: Count it: one dot, three dots.
Patterns
- a dot on something
- a dot of something
She drew a dot on the map to show where the village was.
There is a dot over the letter i and over the letter j.
From the plane, the cars looked like tiny dots on the highway.
nouncountablecomputing
The point symbol used in a web or email address, said aloud as the word dot.
Grammar: Spoken in addresses: example dot com.
Patterns
- something dot com
Please type the address, which ends in dot org.
Read out the email address, including the dot before the surname.
Her website is her name followed by dot net.
verbtransitive
To mark something with small spots, or to be spread across an area in scattered places.
Grammar: Takes an object, often in the passive: hills dotted with sheep.
Patterns
- dot something with something
- be dotted around/across something
Small white boats dotted the bay.
He dotted the cake with chocolate chips.
Farmhouses are dotted across the valley.
Word forms
| plural | dots |
|---|---|
| third person singular | dots |
| past tense | dotted |
| past participle | dotted |
| -ing form | dotting |
Common combinations
- connect the dots
- The detective finally managed to connect the dots between the two crimes.
- polka dot
- She wore a polka dot dress to the picnic.
- on the dot
- The train left at nine o'clock on the dot.
- dot the i's and cross the t's
- Before submitting the contract, we dotted the i's and crossed the t's.
- dotted line
- Sign your name on the dotted line.
- dot com
- He started a dot com company in the late nineties.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spot
- Spot can be any small mark and is often irregular or a stain, while a dot is neat and round.
- speck
- A speck is a very tiny particle or mark, usually of dirt or dust, and is smaller than a typical dot.
- point
- Point is the mathematical or technical term for a position, while dot is a visible mark you can draw.
- scatter
- Scatter as a verb stresses throwing things loosely around, whereas dot suggests items visible at intervals across a surface.
Word family
Commonly confused: dot or dote?
dot vs dote
Dote is a verb meaning to show too much fondness, as in dote on grandchildren. It sounds nearly the same but has nothing to do with marks.
Practice
Choose the best phrase to complete the sentence: The meeting began at ten o'clock ___.
Choose one answer.
On the dot means exactly at the stated time. On the spot means immediately or at that place, which changes the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.