daubed; daubing; daubs
1
: to cover or coat with soft adhesive matter : plaster
2
: to coat with a dirty substance
3
a
: to apply coloring material crudely to
b
: to apply (something, such as paint) crudely
Synonyms
Examples of daub in a Sentence
Verb
He daubed some cologne on his neck.
Daub the potatoes with a little butter.
Various political slogans had been daubed on the walls.
He sighed deeply and daubed his eyes with a tissue.
Noun
She added a few daubs of color to the painting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Three weeks earlier, the pair were posted up at a Highland Park backyard sesh organized by the Swami Select cannabis brand, with the artist delicately daubing marijuana-leaf designs in henna on the back of Haq’s hands and up to her elbows.
—Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Along with the coquettish beauty of a perfectly rosy cheek, daubing blush beneath the eyes comes with extra brightening benefits.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2023
Around noon, a young man from Hong Kong arrived with a bag of spray-paint and daubed the first new graffiti on the white wall.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 8 Aug. 2023
Architect and interior designer Harry Nuriev customized one of his signature denim upholstered pieces especially for the sale: a turntable (recently exhibited at Paris’ Carpenters Workshop Gallery, daubed in neon graffiti inspired by Williams’ lyrics and track titles.
—Stephanie Hirschmiller, ELLE, 21 June 2023
Sometime around 2015, Cacao Rocks started daubing walls with THIS IS NOT BERLIN as a form of protest.
—Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2023
The facility’s signature scroll design was his handiwork, too, as were a series of water jugs, jauntily daubed with splotches of paint to resemble women.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2023
Czech dictator Klement Gottwald stands alone in a small grove, the blood-red paint still as fresh on his hands as if daubed on yesterday.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
Each death is a daub of paint on a vast canvas, but for the bereaved, each opens up a gaping chasm of grief.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
Shimmery Touches Steve Granitz Details like an extra layer of blush and daubs of strategic shimmer help to further wedding makeup.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2023
In the artist Eddie Martinez’s dense, polychrome paintings, each mark is haunted by the gesture that made it and each color seems to demand its own verb: The thick gray drips; a bright red streak declares; a daub of blue hesitates.
—Phoebe Chen, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Actually, the artist daubs on clear Mylar, which is not absorbent.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
Also known as a gradient roll, the color effect is produced by placing daubs of differently hued ink on a roller and blending the discrete colors as they’re applied.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Konkel is known for topping her abstractions with mesh, often folded or crumpled, and sometimes with daubs of paint atop the netting.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Collage may indicate motion in Furey’s work, as in two pictures of dancers whose bodies are covered in patterns, whether more flower photos or rendered with line and daub.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2023
See More
Verb
Perhaps future generations will daub colors or make carvings, for instance — but any predictions would be about as accurate as a Wemding citizen from 793 A.D. trying to imagine the town today.
—Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Three weeks earlier, the pair were posted up at a Highland Park backyard sesh organized by the Swami Select cannabis brand, with the artist delicately daubing marijuana-leaf designs in henna on the back of Haq’s hands and up to her elbows.
—Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Along with the coquettish beauty of a perfectly rosy cheek, daubing blush beneath the eyes comes with extra brightening benefits.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2023
Around noon, a young man from Hong Kong arrived with a bag of spray-paint and daubed the first new graffiti on the white wall.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 8 Aug. 2023
Architect and interior designer Harry Nuriev customized one of his signature denim upholstered pieces especially for the sale: a turntable (recently exhibited at Paris’ Carpenters Workshop Gallery, daubed in neon graffiti inspired by Williams’ lyrics and track titles.
—Stephanie Hirschmiller, ELLE, 21 June 2023
Sometime around 2015, Cacao Rocks started daubing walls with THIS IS NOT BERLIN as a form of protest.
—Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2023
The facility’s signature scroll design was his handiwork, too, as were a series of water jugs, jauntily daubed with splotches of paint to resemble women.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2023
Czech dictator Klement Gottwald stands alone in a small grove, the blood-red paint still as fresh on his hands as if daubed on yesterday.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023
Noun
Some of the pictures overlay figures rendered with black lines atop fields of soft, drippy daubs in a rainbow of hues.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
Each death is a daub of paint on a vast canvas, but for the bereaved, each opens up a gaping chasm of grief.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
Shimmery Touches Steve Granitz Details like an extra layer of blush and daubs of strategic shimmer help to further wedding makeup.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2023
In the artist Eddie Martinez’s dense, polychrome paintings, each mark is haunted by the gesture that made it and each color seems to demand its own verb: The thick gray drips; a bright red streak declares; a daub of blue hesitates.
—Phoebe Chen, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Actually, the artist daubs on clear Mylar, which is not absorbent.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
Also known as a gradient roll, the color effect is produced by placing daubs of differently hued ink on a roller and blending the discrete colors as they’re applied.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Konkel is known for topping her abstractions with mesh, often folded or crumpled, and sometimes with daubs of paint atop the netting.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Collage may indicate motion in Furey’s work, as in two pictures of dancers whose bodies are covered in patterns, whether more flower photos or rendered with line and daub.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'daub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French dauber
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of daub was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing daub
Articles Related to daub
Dictionary Entries Near daub
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daub. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on daub
Nglish: Translation of daub for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of daub for Arabic Speakers
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