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
But the film plays so coy with its backstory, offering it in dribs and drabs, that its initial emotional tension soon turns vaporous and phony.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
My father agreed to give us something in dribs and drabs.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
Congress has approved the grant money in dribs and drabs recently.
—Tribune News Service, Oc Register, 7 Oct. 2025
An overnight smash is a fun phenomenon to follow; so is an artist who’s building audience identification in daily dribs and drabs, not big power moves, until suddenly a choir or army of twentysomething women that wasn’t there two years ago is blasting your ears out.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
All new parents know that precious moments with your firstborn come in dribs and drabs and then in a torrent.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
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
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
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
My father agreed to give us something in dribs and drabs.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
Congress has approved the grant money in dribs and drabs recently.
—Tribune News Service, Oc Register, 7 Oct. 2025
An overnight smash is a fun phenomenon to follow; so is an artist who’s building audience identification in daily dribs and drabs, not big power moves, until suddenly a choir or army of twentysomething women that wasn’t there two years ago is blasting your ears out.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
All new parents know that precious moments with your firstborn come in dribs and drabs and then in a torrent.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Dribs and drabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dribs%20and%20drabs. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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