mote

1 of 2

noun

ˈmōt How to pronounce mote (audio)
Synonyms of mote
: a small particle : speck entry 1
… motes danced in the shafts of sunlight …—Margaret Kennedy

mote

2 of 2

auxiliary verb

archaic
: may, might

Synonyms of mote

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Noun

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Examples of mote in a Sentence

Noun there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
There’s always a new speck of dirt, mote of dust, or lock of hair to clean up. — Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025 Tiny bugs float in the sun like dust motes, and there are graceful flies large enough to require a runway landing. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026 There’s a Gambit-adjacent one that has players depositing motes while killing other teams. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 The researchers say their prototype mote used a commercially available circuit board. — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2016 See All Example Sentences for mote

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mot, from Old English; akin to Middle Dutch & Frisian mot sand

Auxiliary verb

Middle English, from Old English mōtan to be allowed to — more at must

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Auxiliary Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mote was before the 12th century

Rhymes for mote

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Browse Nearby Words

Motacillidae
mote
moted
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Cite this Entry

“Mote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mote. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

mote

noun
ˈmōt
: a small particle : speck

More from Merriam-Webster on mote

Nglish: Translation of mote for Spanish Speakers

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