- 1 a small round mark, especially one that is printed There are dots above the letters i and j. Text and graphics are printed at 300 dots per inch. The helicopters appeared as two black dots on the horizon. The island is a small green dot on the map. Synonymspatchdot mark spotThese are all words for a small part on a surface that is a different colour from the rest.patch an area of something, especially one which is different from the area around it:a white dog with a black patch on its head patches of dense fogdot a small round mark on something, especially one that is printed:The letters ‘i’ and ‘j’ have dots over them. The island is a small green dot on the map.mark a noticeable area of colour on the body of a person or animal:The horse had a white mark on its head.spot a small round area that is a different colour or feels different from the surface it is on:Which has spots, a leopard or a tiger?Patterns a patch/dot/mark/spot on something with patches/dots/marks/spots a blue/black/red, etc. patch/dot/mark/spot Wordfinderpatternband, check, dot, fleck, pattern, speckle, splash, spot, streak, stripe
- 2 (computing) a symbol like a full stop/period used to separate parts of a domain name, a URL or an email address Word OriginOld English dott ‘head of a boil’. The word is recorded only once in Old English, then not until the late 16th cent., when it is found in the sense ‘a small lump or clot’, perhaps influenced by Dutch dot ‘a knot’. The sense ‘small mark or spot’ dates from the mid 17th cent.Extra examples The graphics are printed at 500 dots per inch. The letters ‘i’ and ‘j’ have dots over them. Two helicopters appeared as black dots on the horizon.Idioms
(informal) exactly on time or at the exact time mentioned The taxi showed up on the dot. Breakfast is served at 8 on the dot. Please tell him I’ll call him on the dot of twelve.
(informal) a very long time ago I've been going there every summer since the year dot.
Check pronunciation: dot
