dribs and drabs
plural noun
informal
: small amounts that come or happen over a period of time
They received donations in dribs and drabs.
Examples of dribs and drabs in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As more features arrive in dribs and drabs via Play Services and Pixel Drops, the numbered version changes are less important.
—
ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
The sympathies of the characters waver or shift with every new rumor, and ours do the same as the truth is revealed in dribs and drabs via flashback.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
No, the devastation comes in dribs and drabs, via sporadic incursions over years: a home bulldozed here, a well filled with concrete there, a 2 AM home invasion there.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Information comes in dribs and drabs, because the viewers’ sole means of receiving it are through the eyes of this mysterious force.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025
As details of the attack emerged in dribs and drabs, including the number of dead, the gunfight, and even the type ...
—Becket Adams, National Review, 5 Jan. 2025
Deployment will occur in dribs and drabs until the middle of the next decade, even though U.S. combatant commanders in the European and Asia-Pacific theaters are deeply worried about the next three to four years.
—Madelyn Creedon, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024
And that’s a major win for McCartney fans who never got the bootlegs or who haven’t shelled out big bucks over the years to pick up the songs that were included in dribs and drabs on other re-releases.
—Scott Bauer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024
There were no issues at half-time — where the main anger was the lack of food and drinks in the away-end kiosks — and similarly at full time, though Wednesday’s 3-0 win meant that the majority of West Brom fans had left in dribs and drabs throughout the second half.
—Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024
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ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
The sympathies of the characters waver or shift with every new rumor, and ours do the same as the truth is revealed in dribs and drabs via flashback.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
No, the devastation comes in dribs and drabs, via sporadic incursions over years: a home bulldozed here, a well filled with concrete there, a 2 AM home invasion there.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Information comes in dribs and drabs, because the viewers’ sole means of receiving it are through the eyes of this mysterious force.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025
As details of the attack emerged in dribs and drabs, including the number of dead, the gunfight, and even the type ...
—Becket Adams, National Review, 5 Jan. 2025
Deployment will occur in dribs and drabs until the middle of the next decade, even though U.S. combatant commanders in the European and Asia-Pacific theaters are deeply worried about the next three to four years.
—Madelyn Creedon, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024
And that’s a major win for McCartney fans who never got the bootlegs or who haven’t shelled out big bucks over the years to pick up the songs that were included in dribs and drabs on other re-releases.
—Scott Bauer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024
There were no issues at half-time — where the main anger was the lack of food and drinks in the away-end kiosks — and similarly at full time, though Wednesday’s 3-0 win meant that the majority of West Brom fans had left in dribs and drabs throughout the second half.
—Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Dribs and drabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dribs%20and%20drabs. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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