dribble

verb

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drib·ble | \ ˈdri-bəl

dribbled; dribbling\ ˈdri-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of dribble

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to issue sporadically and in small bits

2 : to let or cause to fall in drops little by little

3a : to propel by successive slight taps or bounces with hand, foot, or stick dribble a basketball dribble a puck

b : to hit (a ball) without much force so that it bounces slowly along the ground

intransitive verb

1 : to fall or flow in drops or in a thin intermittent stream : trickle

2 : to let saliva trickle from the corner of the mouth : drool

3 : to come or issue in piecemeal or desultory fashion

4a : to dribble a ball or puck

b : to proceed by dribbling

c of a ball : to move with short bounces

dribble

noun

Definition of dribble (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a tiny or insignificant bit or quantity

2 : a small trickling stream or flow

3 : an act, instance, or manner of dribbling a ball or puck

Other Words from dribble Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about dribble

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Other Words from dribble

Verb

dribbler \ ˈdri-b(ə-)lər

\ noun

Noun

dribbly \ ˈdri-b(ə-)lē

\ adjective

Examples of dribble in a Sentence

Verb Juice dribbled down his chin. She accidentally dribbled wine onto the rug. Dribble olive oil over the warm bread before serving. She dribbled across the basketball court. He skillfully dribbled the soccer ball towards the goal. Noun He wiped a dribble of juice from the corner of the baby's mouth. She gave the ball a dribble before passing it.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Up just two points with 6.7 seconds left, Bay’s Sam Houk beat his man under the basket to pull down an offensive rebound and dribble the basketball out to the perimeter. — Matt Goul, cleveland, "Second chances push Bay past Elyria, 56-52, behind Ashton Price’s 20 points," 9 Jan. 2021 Part of what makes the Pelicans dangerous in transition is their sheer number of players who can dribble the ball the full length of the floor and finish. — Christian Clark | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "Pelicans Film Room: New Orleans' best offense is its defense," 29 Dec. 2020 Roacho Amador quickly picked up the basics of how to dribble and shoot. — Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, "Mexico national team's Esteban Roacho Amador takes NBA hoops dream to Mike Bibby's Scottsdale gym," 7 Dec. 2020 Those in sports have done their best to dribble around this damn thing, to block and tackle it, to launch angle and exit-velo it with about as much success as can or could be expected. — Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: College basketball should hit pause button before it ends up in mess like college football," 28 Nov. 2020 Just to be able to dribble the ball up the court in an actual game with real reps was different. — Stephen Means, cleveland, "Meechie Johnson is living out a family dream with Ohio State basketball commitment: Buckeyes Recruiting," 13 Nov. 2020 In late summer, tourists began to dribble back, mostly for short weekend stays, Mr. Dixon said. — Patrick Mcgeehan, New York Times, "Tourism, Engine for N.Y.C. Economy, May Not Fully Recover Until 2025," 16 Nov. 2020 By the first grade, Kai could load and operate the dishwasher, organize his clothes and dribble a basketball. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: Taking on another coronavirus metric," 2 Oct. 2020 Can shoot it, can dribble it, get us into our offense. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Jacob Toppin might be Kentucky basketball's best athlete, but can he help this season?," 30 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Offensive success for the Bucks on Sunday won’t hinge on beating their defender to the rim off the dribble. — Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, "Clippers take aim at Bucks, who have had their number," 27 Feb. 2021 Furkan Korkmaz is mostly a spot-up shooter who can occasionally create shots for himself off the dribble. — Bryan Toporek, Forbes, "Sixers Need Trade-Deadline Reinforcements To Keep Pace With Brooklyn Nets," 26 Feb. 2021 His ability to beat Eli Brooks off the dribble, as Washington made seven of his first eight 2s by driving to the rim and scoring over Brooks. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "No. 3 Michigan basketball lands final punch in thrilling 92-87 win at No. 4 Ohio State," 21 Feb. 2021 His ability to beat Eli Brooks off the dribble, as Washington made seven of his first eight by driving to the rim and scoring over Brooks. — Orion Sang, USA TODAY, "No. 3 Michigan men's basketball lands final punch in 92-87 win at No. 4 Ohio State," 21 Feb. 2021 John Wall scored 25 points, routinely beating defenders off the dribble and finishing near the basket. — Brett Martel, Chron, "Rockets routed by Josh Hart, Pelicans," 10 Feb. 2021 Williamson was consistently able to beat his defender off the dribble. — Christian Clark, NOLA.com, "Zion Williamson's attacks make him 'one of the unique talents' in NBA, Pelicans coach says," 19 Jan. 2021 Carr and company kept attacking the basket off the dribble down the stretch, the most sound strategy for a team that entered the weekend second in the country in free throw attempts. — Dave Campbell, ajc, "No. 23 Minnesota hands No. 7 Michigan 1st loss in 75-57 romp," 16 Jan. 2021 Paschall, who finished with 12 points off the bench, helped the Warriors take the lead early in the fourth quarter by beating his defender off the dribble again and again. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Stephen Curry leads Warriors to comeback win over Clippers," 9 Jan. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dribble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.