1
2
as in sprinkling
a very small amount
she added a dab of sesame oil to the dressing before pouring it on the salad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in slap
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
a bear can knock a man down with a simple dab of his paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a dab at finding unappreciated collectibles and reselling them at a considerable profit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dab
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
Copper Dull copper pieces can be shined by using a dry cloth and a dab of toothpaste.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
Precious Adesina, ARTnews.com, 14 Mar. 2025
One video clip shows the Kylie Cosmetics founder dabbing on her beauty brand's new blush stick.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dab
Noun
Add a dab of toothpaste to 1-2 T of water.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
Copper Dull copper pieces can be shined by using a dry cloth and a dab of toothpaste.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
Though the canvas stretching out before her is enormous, she is absorbed in a small section, carefully dabbing at the material with a long brush dipped in yellow paint.
—Precious Adesina, ARTnews.com, 14 Mar. 2025
One video clip shows the Kylie Cosmetics founder dabbing on her beauty brand's new blush stick.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab
Verb
-
They were usually surrounded by toddlers, soiling their pull-ups while smeared with frosting.—
Dan Ewen,
Deadline,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Coogler opens with traumatized sharecropper Sammie (impressive newcomer Miles Caton), smeared with blood and fresh claw marks gouged into the side of his face, staggering mid-service into the church where his father preaches, clutching his guitar.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
On the red carpet at the 76th EE BAFTA Film Awards in February 2023, Kate playfully patted William's butt with a light love tap.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Oh, and guys named John Elway, Dan Marino and Tom Brady were among others who patted the ball before throwing.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
In one group of anoles, the researchers daubed the reptiles’ snouts and heads (avoiding the nostrils) with a thin layer of emollient to prevent air bubbles from adhering to the anoles’ heads.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN,
17 Sep. 2024
-
Their victorious players meander over, gathering in front of a chainlink fence draped with handmade banners daubed in the dark green and deep burgundy of Mohun Bagan, India’s great footballing powerhouse.—
Rory Smith,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The fight ended in the second round when a knee injury on the mat forced Figueiredo to tap while Sandhagen was firing off strikes to the head.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
-
But anyone could tap into a similar energy by asking friends, coworkers, and family members to set them up.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
3 May 2025
Verb
-
In my opinion, the One True Way to enjoy a knish properly is to slice one open lengthwise, slather a layer of deli mustard in between the two halves then close everything up and eat it like a sandwich.—
Deb Amlen,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Spicy brown mustard and a little pickle relish join forces with mayonnaise to make this salad perfect for slathering onto your favorite bread or scooping onto crackers.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Diggins and the rest of the WNBA are geared up to tip off their preseason games on Friday (May 2) with the first of 15 games.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
2 May 2025
-
Though the reading was driven largely by a surge in imports ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariff order in early April, the report raised cautionary flags about the potential for the economy to tip into recession.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
1 May 2025
Verb
-
Appearing on stage before a lightsaber-waving crowd at Makuhari Messe center outside Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Gosling shared a photo of his childhood bedsheets, plastered with illustrations from the space epic created by George Lucas.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The crowd felt culturally if not particularly racially diverse—men, women, young, old, sober, plastered, minor felons, investment bankers, minorly felonious investment bankers.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Video footage of the incident obtained by the outlets showed the passengers clapping and cheering when the flight finally took off for Albania.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
28 Apr. 2025
-
That’s when residents all over the city threw open their windows and climbed onto fire escapes, clapping, banging pots and pans, and shouting at full volume to salute the health care workers who were battling a novel coronavirus that had overrun the city.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share