1
: any of numerous usually cloudy and rounded spots or patches of a color or shade different from their background
2
: the quality or state of being dappled
3
: a dappled animal
dappled; dappling
ˈda-p(ə-)liŋ 
: to mark with dapples
: to produce a dappled pattern
sun dappling through trees
Synonyms
Examples of dapple in a Sentence
Noun
the clouds threw dapples of shadow over the eerily quiet street
Verb
sunlight dappled the canopy of vines over our heads
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Oct. 2024
In the prelude to a November ballot featuring the candidate synonymous with polarization, all the dapple and nuance of life is once again being reduced to a binary.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 2 July 2024
Miles Socha, WWD, 26 Sep. 2024
Sims seeking solace can visit the town cemetery, dappled with headstones and graves to pay respects to the Sims who once walked these roads (and may still be doing so), or disappear into a Crypt to share a special moment with a lover or tell ghost stories.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dapple 
Noun
The small spaces between leaves will dapple patterns of the eclipse phase on the ground.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Oct. 2024
In the prelude to a November ballot featuring the candidate synonymous with polarization, all the dapple and nuance of life is once again being reduced to a binary.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 2 July 2024
Verb
Strawberries, a feature of his spring 2010 collection for Saint Laurent, are reprised in miniature, with miniature bananas dappled over men’s trousers.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 26 Sep. 2024
Sims seeking solace can visit the town cemetery, dappled with headstones and graves to pay respects to the Sims who once walked these roads (and may still be doing so), or disappear into a Crypt to share a special moment with a lover or tell ghost stories.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dapple
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dapple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dapple. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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