1
as in to stain
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
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2
as in to smear
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
he begins his nightly transformation into a circus clown by daubing greasepaint on his face
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as in drawing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daub
Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
The paintings of Mickalene Thomas are big, bold, gaudy, and beautiful, embedded with rhinestones, daubed with phosphorescent color, and composed like crazy quilts.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
The little daubs that represent passersby are miracles of characterization.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for daub
Verb
The burial ground and temple were unearthed when someone tried to build a drainage channel for a modern house; to prevent the dampness of visitors’ breath from damaging the extraordinary artworks daubed on the walls, entry is limited to 80 people per day.
—Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
The paintings of Mickalene Thomas are big, bold, gaudy, and beautiful, embedded with rhinestones, daubed with phosphorescent color, and composed like crazy quilts.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
Much as the eye might want to blot out the offending image, Photoshop it out of existence and daub more verdancy onto this screen-saver panorama, the reality of human habitation, and its concomitant messiness, must be reckoned.
—Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
The little daubs that represent passersby are miracles of characterization.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for daub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daub
Verb
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With a yellow rubber glove on her right hand, Heintzelman picks up her finished creations and puts them, one by one, back into egg cartons, with the toilet bowl prominently stained in the background.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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If Bonhoeffer’s example is used to justify more far-right Christian violence in America, that would be another tragedy — and a cruel irony that would stain the legacy of a man who gave up everything to confront a tyrant.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The vacuum cleaner has powerful suction, and the mop cleans without sloshing and smearing water on the floor.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
23 Apr. 2025
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The chance to get a bit dirty comes one floor below the restaurant, with a spa offering massages, facials and soon a mud room with muds from around the world for guests to smear on themselves while perched on seats heated to 98 degrees.—
Mike Nolan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Now, the two collaborate on drawings, and Clottey develops them into large canvas works.—
Rachel Corbett,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
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The next drawing will happen on Saturday, May 10, just after 11 p.m. ET.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
Verb
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The mains are just as exciting, with dishes like Thai basil yellowfin tuna and blackened redfish on offer.—
Amanda Ogle,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Apr. 2025
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One time, alone in a lean-to of sticks in Florida, something huge blackened the night nearby.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside Online,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The numbers paint a generally positive outlook that, according to these forecasters, should allow the nation to narrowly dodge a slump.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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When the first match finally made it onto pickleball TV … the courts for this event were, to put it lightly, uniquely painted.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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More than 400 landscapes, portraits, still lifes and sculptures — from folk Art and the Hudson River School through the modernist movements — will be on view.—
Tanya Mohn,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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Things in Nature Merely Grow paints a loving portrait of each of her teenage children, who died nearly seven years apart, and details her own battles with depression and suicidal ideation.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Place them in a shoe bag or wrap them in a plastic bag to keep them from dirtying other items.—
Will Porter,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Feb. 2025
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For example, a small non-shedding dog that rarely goes outside won't dirty a bed nearly as fast as a large labarador that plays outside daily.—
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Processing the pictures, from coating the plate to presenting the developing image, can feel a bit like a ceremony.—
Marah Eakin,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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Designed to deliver buildable volume and definition, the long-wear formula doesn’t smudge and has an innovative conical brush to coat every lash without clumping.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daub. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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