💬 Ellipsis spoken 🔘 Menu button

dot dot dot

4.6

A small icon of three dots that opens extra options in an app

noun

Specialized

: icono de opciones

She tapped the dot dot dot in the corner to open the options menu.

Examples

On the messaging app, press the dot dot dot to forward or delete a conversation quickly.
Developers often hide settings behind a small dot dot dot so the interface looks cleaner for users.
Click the dot dot dot icon to see more options.
Have you noticed the dot dot dot on the toolbar?
She tapped the dot dot dot in the corner to open the options menu.
On the messaging app, press the dot dot dot to forward or delete a conversation quickly.
Click the dot dot dot icon to see more options.

Synonyms

icon

vsdot dot dot

Specialized

89 3.9

A small picture on a computer screen used to open a program or file

is a specific small graphic that opens a menu of extra actions when clicked

Surface Forms

dot dot dot singular

dot dots dot plural

Morphology

dot + dot + dot

The phrase is compositionally literal — repeating 'dot' signals three small marks/ellipsis, so a learner who knows 'dot' will understand it refers to three dots. However, the conventional UI meaning (that the icon opens a menu or shows more options) is a software-specific convention not predictable from the words alone without exposure, so the expression is only partly transparent.

Etymology

Dot dot dot is the name for the small three-dot button because three dots in writing often show that more is coming. When you tap the little dot dot dot, extra choices appear, so the icon means 'more options' or a hidden menu.