small speck of dust

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   A very tiny piece of dust, barely visible.

   Grammar: 'Speck' is countable, so use 'a speck' or 'specks'; 'dust' is uncountable.

   Patterns

   • a small speck of dust
   • small specks of dust

   A small speck of dust floated in the sunbeam.

   She wiped a small speck of dust from the mirror.

   The microscope revealed small specks of dust on the slide.

2. 2phraseidiomfigurative

   Used figuratively to mean something extremely unimportant or tiny.

   Grammar: Often in comparisons: 'not a small speck of dust' meaning nothing at all.

   Patterns

   • not a small speck of dust
   • less than a small speck of dust

   His contribution was a small speck of dust compared to hers.

   I don't care a small speck of dust about their opinion.

Common combinations

a tiny speck of dust

A tiny speck of dust can ruin a photograph.

a speck of dust on something

There was a speck of dust on the lens.

wipe away a speck of dust

He wiped away a speck of dust with his sleeve.

not a speck of dust

After cleaning, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere.

Synonyms and how they differ

particle

A very small piece of matter; 'particle' is more technical and can refer to solids, liquids, or gases, while 'speck of dust' is everyday and specific.

mote

A literary or old-fashioned word for a speck of dust; 'speck' is the common term.

Commonly confused: small speck of dust or speck?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “small speck of dust”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words