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Meaning & use

speck of dirt

noun·Everyday

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UK/ˌspek əv ˈdɜːt/
US/ˌspek əv ˈdɝːt/

Meaning

  1. nouncountable

    A very small piece of dirt or dust that you can only just see.

    Grammar: Countable; often in negatives: there wasn't a speck of dirt.

    Patterns

    • not a speck of dirt
    • a speck of dirt on something

    She polished the table until there was not a speck of dirt on it.

    A speck of dirt landed in my eye on the bike ride.

    The surgeon checked the floor for even a speck of dirt.

Word forms

pluralspecks of dirt

Common combinations

not a speck of dirt
His shoes had not a speck of dirt on them.
a tiny speck of dirt
A tiny speck of dirt spoiled the photo.
wipe away a speck of dirt
He wiped away a speck of dirt from the lens.
spot every speck of dirt
The inspector could spot every speck of dirt.
free of specks of dirt
The floor was free of specks of dirt.

Synonyms and how they differ

fleck
Fleck is a tiny mark or particle, usually of colour, and sounds a little more literary.
grain
Grain suggests a hard particle such as sand, not general dirt.
smudge
A smudge is a smeared mark, not a separate tiny piece.
mote
Mote is an old-fashioned word for a tiny particle floating in air or light.

Word family

speck noun
a very small mark or particle
speckle noun
a small spot of colour
speckled adjective
covered with small spots
dirty adjective
not clean

Commonly confused: speck of dirt or spec?

speck of dirt vs spec

A spec is a short form of specification; it has nothing to do with dirt, and speck has a k.

Practice

My grandmother's kitchen is so clean you will not find a ____ of dirt anywhere.

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