dub

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈdəb 

dubbed; dubbing

transitive verb

1

a

: to confer knighthood on

was dubbed Sir Philip

b

: to call by a distinctive title, epithet, or nickname

Critics have dubbed him the new king of rock 'n' roll.

2

: to trim or remove the comb (see comb entry 1 sense 2a) and wattles of

3

a

golf : to hit (a ball or shot) poorly

b

: to execute poorly

a dubbed attempt

dub

2 of 5

verb (2)

dubbed; dubbing; dubs

transitive verb

1

: to add (sound effects or new dialogue) to a film or to a radio or television production

—usually used with in

They dubbed in the music.

2

: to provide (a motion-picture film) with a new soundtrack and especially dialogue in a different language

The film was dubbed in French and Spanish.

3

: to make a new recording of (previously recorded sound)

That file was probably created … years earlier from a CD, which itself may have been created from a suboptimal "safety copy" of the LP master—or even from a dubbed duplicate of that dubbed duplicate.

—Jody Rosen

also : to mix (recorded sound from different sources) into a single recording

dub

3 of 5

noun (1)

: Jamaican music in which audio effects and spoken or chanted words are imposed on an instrumental reggae background

dub

4 of 5

noun (2)

: one who is inept or clumsy

dub

5 of 5

noun (3)

chiefly Scotland

: pool, puddle

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• name
• label
• call
• term
• title
• nominate
• style
• nickname
• designate
• denominate

Noun (2)

• gawk
• lubber
• klutz
• lump
• lummox
• butterfingers
• tike
• looby

Examples of dub in a Sentence

Verb (1)

I've dubbed my car the "Lone Ranger," although "Loan Raider" probably would have been more apt

he dubbed his first attempt at homemade wine, but he got it reasonably right on the second

Noun (2)

even though I wasn't the most graceful skater on the ice, I thought I did well for a dub

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Rocket Factory Augsburg: Third on our list is Rocket Factory Augsburg, headquartered in the Bavarian city of the same name, with plans for a three-stage rocket dubbed RFA One that could eventually deliver up to 1.3 metric tons (2,866 pounds) of payload mass into a polar Sun-synchronous orbit. —ArsTechnica, 9 July 2025

The shipwreck site, dubbed the Ceramic Wreck, dates back to the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman periods of the country's history. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 8 July 2025

Noun

Dwayne Keith Project, a Hartford act fusing gospel, jazz and hip-hop. 8:30 to 10 p.m.: Khruangbin, the worldly psychedelic soul/rock/dub/pop trio from Houston, Texas. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2025

Sprechen Sie Netflix? Netflix customers watching series and movies on TVs can now toggle among the 30-plus languages available in the streamer’s catalog for dubs and subtitles. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (2)

Middle English dubben, from Old English dubbian; akin to Old Norse dubba to dub, Old High German tubili plug

Verb (2)

by shortening & alteration from double

Noun (3)

Middle English (Scots) dubbe

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1974, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1884, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dub

• bub
• club
• cub
• grub
• hub
• nub
• pub
• rub
• scrub
• shrub
• snub
• stub

Kids Definition

dub

1 of 2 verb

ˈdəb 

dubbed; dubbing

1

: to make a knight of

2

: name entry 2 sense 1

dub

2 of 2 verb

dubbed; dubbing

: to add sound effects or new dialogue to a film or broadcast

Medical Definition

DUB

abbreviation

dysfunctional uterine bleeding