dabbling

noun

dab·​bling ˈda-b(ə-)liŋ 

: a superficial or intermittent interest, investigation, or experiment

his dabblings in philosophy and art

Examples of dabbling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

True, this dabbling takes many forms and is far from being used across all marketing firms. —Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2023

Journalist Marisa Kabas first broke the news of Santos’ apparent dabbling in drag while living in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro — revealing an image sourced from a former friend and fellow drag queen, Eula Rochard — of Santos performing under the name Kitara Rivache. —Allison Hope, CNN, 25 Jan. 2023

In contrast, dabbling and diving ducks had shown a 34% increase over that time frame. —Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2022

No Way Home, with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange grappling with the fallout from his necessary dabbling in the multiverse. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2021

During the Stones’ debauched ’70s heyday, Watts was relatively sober, but his dabbling in alcohol, heroin, and amphetamines became more of a habit by the early ’80s. —Dan Reilly, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2021

Their mutual dabbling on dating apps after college was less about fulfilling romantic ambitions than having something to do. —New York Times, 9 July 2021

Musk has always been tongue in cheek with his crypto dabbling, but his latest posts have sown confusion across the industry and revived the debate over whether the nascent asset class is a serious investment. —Anchalee Worrachate, Fortune, 18 May 2021

Our sources say for any kind of pour-over method (pour-over, French press, Chemex), a gooseneck kettle is what separates the serious from the dabbling. —Elizabeth Wallace, CNN Underscored, 6 Aug. 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined above