Thesaurus
Synonyms & Antonyms of dab
(Entry 1 of 3)
2
a very small amount
- she added a dab of sesame oil to the dressing before pouring it on the salad
Synonyms for dab
- ace,
- bit,
- crumb,
- dram,
- driblet,
- glimmer,
- hint,
- lick,
- little,
- mite,
- nip,
- ounce,
- particle,
- peanuts,
- ray,
- scintilla,
- scruple,
- shade,
- shadow,
- shred,
- skosh,
- smack,
- smell,
- smidgen
- (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge),
- snap,
- soupçon,
- spark,
- spatter,
- speck,
- splash,
- spot,
- sprinkling,
- strain,
- streak,
- suspicion,
- tad,
- touch,
- trace
Words Related to dab
Phrases Synonymous with dab
Near Antonyms for dab
- abundance,
- barrel,
- boatload,
- bucket,
- bundle,
- bushel,
- deal,
- fistful,
- gobs,
- heaps,
- lashings
- (also lashins)
- [chiefly British],
- loads,
- lot,
- mass,
- mess,
- mountain,
- much,
- oodles,
- passel,
- peck,
- pile,
- plenty,
- potful,
- profusion,
- quantity,
- raft,
- reams,
- scads,
- stack,
- wad,
- wealth
3
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 for dab
- bang,
- bash,
- bat,
- beat,
- belt,
- biff,
- blow,
- bop,
- box,
- buffet,
- bust,
- chop,
- clap,
- clip,
- clout,
- crack,
- cuff,
- douse
- [British],
- fillip,
- hack,
- haymaker,
- hit,
- hook,
- knock,
- larrup
- [dialect],
- lash,
- lick,
- pelt,
- pick,
- plump,
- poke,
- pound,
- punch,
- rap,
- slam,
- slap,
- slug,
- smack,
- smash,
- sock,
- spank,
- stinger,
- stripe,
- stroke,
- swat,
- swipe,
- switch,
- thud,
- thump,
- thwack,
- wallop,
- welt,
- whack,
- wham,
- whop
- (also whap)
Words Related to dab
- body blow,
- hand,
- kick,
- knee,
- left,
- one-two,
- rabbit punch,
- right,
- right-hander,
- roundhouse,
- shiver,
- sidewinder,
- sucker punch,
- swing,
- uppercut
- bastinado
- (or bastinade),
- battering,
- beating,
- bludgeoning,
- clobbering,
- cudgeling
- (or cudgelling),
- drubbing,
- hammering,
- lambasting,
- licking,
- pasting,
- pounding,
- pummeling
- (also pummelling),
- thrashing
dab
noun (2)
chiefly British
Synonyms & Antonyms of dab (Entry 2 of 3)
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 for dab
- ace,
- adept,
- artist,
- authority,
- cognoscente,
- connoisseur,
- crackerjack
- (also crackajack),
- dab hand
- [chiefly British],
- expert,
- fiend,
- geek,
- guru,
- hand,
- hotshot,
- maestro,
- master,
- maven
- (also mavin),
- meister,
- past master,
- proficient,
- scholar,
- shark,
- sharp,
- virtuoso,
- whiz,
- wizard
Words Related to dab
- addict,
- aficionado
- (also afficionado),
- buff,
- devotee,
- enthusiast,
- fan
- all-rounder
- [British],
- jack-of-all-trades,
- Renaissance man
Near Antonyms for dab
Antonyms for dab
dab
verb
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Learn More About dab
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
What is 'dabbing'?
What is 'dabbing'?
Three new uses of one old word
Cite this Entry
“Dab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab. Accessed 4 Aug. 2021.
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Time Traveler for dab
The first known use of dab was in the 14th century
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