Word.ws English Dictionary

polka dot

UK/ˈpɒl.kə ˌdɒt/US/ˈpoʊ.kə ˌdɑt/

polka dot noun: any of a number of uniform round dots, repeated to make a regular geometric pattern on a fabric.

polka dot: any of a number of uniform round dots, repeated to make a regular geometric pattern on a fabric
Image: KingaNBM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

polka dot (plural polka dots)

  1. Any of a number of uniform round dots, repeated to make a regular geometric pattern on a fabric.
    • …these have entirely disappeared, and we see them with the old time white polka dot, always pretty clean and neat looking.1871, Godey’s magazine, volumes 86-87, page 389

Verb

polka dot (third-person singular simple present polka dots, present participle polka dotting, simple past and past participle polka dotted)

  1. (transitive) To cover as with polka dots.

polka dot meaning in Vietnamese

polka dot in Vietnamese

uniform round dots forming a pattern on fabric
chấm bi polka

Forms of polka dot

Noun
pluralpolka dots
alternative formpolka-dot
alternative formpolkadot
Verb
third-person singular presentpolka dots
present participlepolka dotting
past participlepolka dotted
pastpolka dotted

Origin of polka dot

First use appears in the US c. 1857 in the publication Godey's Lady's Book. Named after the polka dance, which was popular at the time (1840–1890). Numerous composites were formed posteriorly, but those names have not endured.

Words formed from polka dot

Questions about polka dot

What does polka dot mean?
Polka dot means any of a number of uniform round dots, repeated to make a regular geometric pattern on a fabric.
What is polka dot in Vietnamese?
Polka dot in Vietnamese is chấm bi polka. See Polka dot meaning in Vietnamese.
What part of speech is polka dot?
Polka dot can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce polka dot?
Polka dot is pronounced /ˈpɒl.kə ˌdɒt/ (UK).
What is the plural of polka dot?
The plural of polka dot is polka dots.

Words near polka dot in the dictionary

  1. polje
  2. poljes
  3. polk
  4. Polk County
  5. polka
  6. polka dot
  7. polka dots
  8. polka dotted
  9. polka dotting
  10. polka jacket
  11. polka jackets

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: polka dot (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “polka dot.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/polka_dot. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.