dabble

verb

dab·​ble ˈda-bəl 

dabbled; dabbling ˈda-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest

dabbles in art

2

a

: to paddle, splash, or play in or as if in water

b

: to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water in order to obtain food

transitive verb

: to wet by splashing or by little dips or strokes : spatter

Examples of dabble in a Sentence

The ducks dabbled in the stream.

She sat by the pool, dabbling her feet in the cool water.

Recent Examples on the Web

Música mexicana continues to expand, attracting artists across genres to dabble in the style of music. —Griselda Flores, Billboard, 14 Nov. 2025

These days, Ali Lohan keeps a low profile away from the spotlight, but back in the early aughts, the baby sister to Lindsay Lohan dabbled in the family business. —Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025

Just as David Bowie enjoyed praise for dabbling in Black music on 1975’s Young Americans while his backup singer Luther Vandross took years to accrue the same respect, by which point Bowie was musically miles away, the Catalan singer who took over urbano now investigates opera and classical music. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025

Enter Kolomoisky By the late 1990s, the duo had also started dabbling in the Ukrainian energy sector. —Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

perhaps frequentative of dab entry 2

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for dabble

• babble
• babel
• drabble
• gabble
• nabal
• rabble
• scrabble
• immeasurable

Kids Definition

dabble

verb

dab·​ble ˈdab-əl 

dabbled; dabbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to wet by splashing : spatter

2

a

: to paddle or play in or as if in water

b

: to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water to obtain food

ducks dabbled in the pond

3

: to work or concern oneself lightly or without deep involvement

they dabble in poetry

dabbler

-(ə-)lər

noun