dab

1 of 5

noun (1)

plural dabs
1
: a gentle touch or stroke : pat
A moment of silence, a dab at the eye, a painful swallow before the roar of applause.Masha Leon
2
: something that is dabbed on : daub, smear
… spots of bright-pink wild cyclamen … like the paint dabs on a pointillist's canvas.Vogue
3
: a small amount
The flat shell should be prized off and the oysters eaten raw, with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dab of horseradish if you like.Nancy Jenkins
A dab of mousse works in seconds "shaping" a style in the time it takes a woman to run her fingers through her hair.Shari Miller Sims
4
slang
a
: a concentrated extract of cannabis that is prepared by treating cannabis with a solvent (such as butane) and is used by heating the concentrate on a hot surface (as of metal or glass) and inhaling the vapors

Note: Dab occurs in several forms including a resinous sticky oil, a crumbly wax, or a brittle solid.

Marijuana potency is described in terms of the percentage of THC. Most marijuana has about 10 to 15 percent THC. Dab has a THC of 80 to 90 percent.Chuck Biedka
Dab is a product made by using butane (a highly flammable gas used in camping fuel canisters and cigarette lighters) to extract the concentrated cannabis oil from plants …Jeff Linville
b
: a single dose of dab
Nothing like a joint, a dab is a small dose of highly concentrated cannabis heated on a hot surface and then inhaled.Amy Hansen
The last thing he would remember in the morning was taking a shot of spiced rum and a dab of marijuana.Gavin Butler
5
: a dance move originating in hip-hop that is performed by bending one arm at the elbow, dropping the head so that the face is near the crook of that arm, and usually extending the other arm so that it is parallel with the forearm of the bent arm
He does the dab, a dance move that looks like he's sneezing into his elbow.Jessica Contrera
During Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign, she learned to do the dab—a dance that Migos made popular …Sheldon Pearce
As Newton appears to show in his coaching tips, there's more to the dab. The quarterback has Bailey make sure to lean into the move, ducking his head down while sharply raising his front arm and jutting his back arm backward.Nick O'Malley
6
archaic : a sudden blow or thrust : poke

see also dab hand, smack-dab

dab

2 of 5

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

dab

3 of 5

noun (2)

: flatfish
especially : any of several flounders (genus Limanda, especially L. limanda) compare sand dab

dab

4 of 5

noun (3)

chiefly British
: a skillful person

DAB

5 of 5

abbreviation

Dictionary of American Biography

Examples of dab in a Sentence

Noun (1) one more quick dab of the brush and he would be finished with his painting she added a dab of sesame oil to the dressing before pouring it on the salad a bear can knock a man down with a simple dab of his paw Noun (3) a dab at finding unappreciated collectibles and reselling them at a considerable profit
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
Prepare the Garment for Washing Use a dab of wool wash to pretreat stains. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024 In some cases, Dr. Zeichner says that dryness inside your nose could also disrupt your skin barrier and possibly irritate your zit—which is why adding a bit of hydration (with a small dab of petroleum jelly or a gentle, noncomedogenic cream) can help soothe the spot. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
The webcam and mics sit smack dab in the center of the top bezel. PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024 But these ads are running smack dab in the middle of a baseball game that is watched by families and kids. Mia Sato, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dab 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English dabbe

Noun (2)

Anglo-French dabbe

Noun (3)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Verb

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

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dab was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dab

Cite this Entry

“Dab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dab. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

dab

1 of 3 noun
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
2
: a small amount
just a dab more ice cream

More from Merriam-Webster on dab

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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