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
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Recent Examples of dab
Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2025
Once the shapes are in place, use a foam brush to dab paint over the design.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
But adding a dab of muhammara from the meze trio jazzed up the beef beautifully.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dab
Noun
Use another clean cloth or sponge to dab the area dry and prevent further water damage.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2025
Once the shapes are in place, use a foam brush to dab paint over the design.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
My makeup hack: a little dab of a lightweight SPF moisturizer over my cheekbones, the tip of my nose, and my collarbone at the end of my makeup routine.
—Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
But adding a dab of muhammara from the meze trio jazzed up the beef beautifully.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab
Verb
-
Police entered the home on a welfare check and noticed blood smeared on the walls and furniture scattered across the living room.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Just smear fake blood on your face, get gussied up in your finest wedding attire, and make sure to pose throughout the night, your lips hovering just inches away from each other, but never quite touching.—
James Factora,
Them.,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Quaid was seen patting his former costars’ shoulders and giving them words of encouragement before the performance.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
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On one occasion, backup goalkeeper Matt Turner, seated to Pulisic’s right, put his left arm around Pulisic and patted his back, consoling him.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Swastikas and other graffiti have been daubed on synagogues and other sites, and security has been heightened at Jewish schools.—
Alex Holmes,
NBC news,
3 Oct. 2025
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But there is a distinction, Kutwala said, between flying flags from one’s own property and daubing paint across the town.—
Olivia Kemp,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Sorkin has added plenty of star power in their absence by tapping Mikey Madison to play whistleblower Frances Haugen, and Jeremy Allen White to play Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, who team up to expose the company's misdeeds.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
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The architect tapped France’s top craftspeople to work on every detail of the train’s interior, from the clocks developed with Cartier to the wooden panels embroidered with Japanese beads.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In short, slathering exosomes onto your face after microneedling and lasers may reduce healing time and improve skin quality.—
Victoria Moorhouse,
Allure,
1 Oct. 2025
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The brioche bread is slathered in peanut butter and honey on the outside, then caramelized.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Within hours of his picture being shared on Facebook, the customer who gave the restaurant a $1,000 bill returned to apologize, pay his bill and tip the server, Moriarty said.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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Some claim younger drinkers, particularly Gen Z, are tipping less, if at all — leaving bartenders frustrated and financially squeezed.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One version of Scanlon’s blinking face has been viewed more than 6 billion times on Giphy alone, plastered in chat rooms, text messages and social media posts.—
Cristian Santana,
NBC news,
27 Sep. 2025
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But his home operation finally took off when the school newspaper ran a profile on his cookie-peddling scheme, plastering the story on the front page.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Someone put down her pencil and began to clap.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Many in the crowd of nearly 200 people clapped to the tempo and swayed to the beat.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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