dab

verb

dabbed; dabbing; dabs

transitive verb

1

: to strike or touch lightly : pat

Her eyes watered occasionally, and she was forced to dab them with a tissue.

—John Grisham

2

: to apply lightly or irregularly : daub

In the past, restoring a frescoed wall involved little more than covering the cracks and dabbing fresh paint on the surface in an attempt to recapture some of its original color.

—George Armstrong

Dab or spray the scent on your … wrist.

—Harper's Bazaar

3

slang : to inhale the vapors of (a heated concentrate of cannabis)

More than half of students who use marijuana reported that they dab marijuana to get high.

—Rachel O'Bryan

In 2015, 28 percent of Colorado high-schoolers who admitted to consuming marijuana within the past month said that they had also dabbed it, according to the CDPHE [Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment].

—Thomas Mitchell

intransitive verb

1

: to touch or pat something lightly

The Doctor paused to remove his glasses and dab at his eyes with a handkerchief.

—T. Coraghessan Boyle

2

slang : to inhale the vapors of a heated concentrate of cannabis : to take a dab (see dab entry 1 sense 4b)

And if you have ever dabbed …, or even just smoked some weed that was profoundly stronger than your usual stuff, that short list of symptoms probably sounds familiar.

—Meagan Angus

In Wisconsin, health officials are still investigating increasing reports of people with severe lung disease who say they've recently vaped or "dabbed," which involves inhaling marijuana products.

—Michael Nedelman

3

: to perform a dab (see dab entry 1 sense 5) or a series of dabs (as while dancing or in celebration)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made the move famous last year after he starting dabbing as his touchdown celebration.

—Meg Anderson

Migos joined Corden for a little Carpool Karaoke on Tuesday, where the late-night host offered his sincere condolences on behalf of uncool dads everywhere for driving their dance move into the ground. Then he immediately dabbed to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

—Halle Kiefer

dabber noun

plural dabbers

dabbing noun

plural dabbings

The brush work is a furious battle ground—there are … fierce, smudgy dabbings of brute colour …

—Michael Glover

… an opportunity for cannabis companies to promote their concentrates and dabbing aficionados to enjoy a day on the couch.

—Veronica Irwin

Dabbing, a dance move which some say looks like sneezing, originated from hip-hop …

—Aarushi Ahuja

Examples of dab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Aniston was similarly touched by the revelation, reaching for a tissue to dab her eyes. —Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026

In the courtroom gallery, family members of the victims dabbed away tears as a prosecutor detailed the final moments of almost 100 people who died after using the lethal products purchased from Law. —Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top. —Laura Ungar, Fortune, 23 May 2026

Throughout the evening, Sting — in tight black leather pants, a white graphic T-shirt, and chunky black boots — never appeared winded, never reached for water, never dabbed sweat with a towel despite temperatures still hovering in the 80s well after sunset. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing dab

• dab hand
• sand dab
• smack-dab

Rhymes for dab

• ab
• cab
• crab
• drab
• fab
• gab
• grab
• jab
• lab
• mab
• nab
• rab

Kids Definition

dab

1 of 3 noun

ˈdab 

1

: a quick blow or thrust : poke

2

: a gentle touch or stroke : pat

dab

2 of 3 verb

dabbed; dabbing

1

: to strike or touch lightly

dabs at her eyes with a handkerchief

2

: to apply with quick light strokes : daub

dabber noun

dab

3 of 3 noun

1

: smear entry 1 sense 1, daub

2

: a small amount

just a dab more ice cream