as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a British mystery writer who's an undisputed dab hand at building suspense
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Recent Examples of dab hand
The actor and director remains a dab hand at occasion dressing.
—
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2025
All of which curious George, a dab hand at psychological manipulation, coaxes along with the gentlest of nudges.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Van Norden, a dab hand with Shakespeare, is a natural for Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Zach is a dab hand at herbal knockout potions and the occasional amateur amputation, and there’s a scene featuring the latter in which Wheatley indulges his twin tastes for deadpan comedy and head-on gross-outs to the extreme.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2021
In addition to the outfits of the characters in her famous self-portraits, American artist Cindy Sherman is also a dab hand at finds for herself.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2025
All of which curious George, a dab hand at psychological manipulation, coaxes along with the gentlest of nudges.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Van Norden, a dab hand with Shakespeare, is a natural for Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Zach is a dab hand at herbal knockout potions and the occasional amateur amputation, and there’s a scene featuring the latter in which Wheatley indulges his twin tastes for deadpan comedy and head-on gross-outs to the extreme.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2021
In addition to the outfits of the characters in her famous self-portraits, American artist Cindy Sherman is also a dab hand at finds for herself.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab hand
Noun
-
Big Think+ classes feature world-class experts teaching the topics that matter most, from leadership and innovation to personal growth and health and wellness.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 June 2026
-
Nonetheless, Ossoff will have to appeal to independents, who will decide the outcome, according to Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political science professor and expert on Southern politics.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Owing to lengthy maturation cycles, these inaugural releases are rums influenced by the craft and stewardship of three generations of Mount Gay master blenders.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
-
But according to master distiller Brent Elliott, this cask finishing project started well before either of those things were a reality.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
In his new book, Ethnic Studies at the Crossroads, Black studies scholar George Lipsitz contextualizes the state of ethnic studies as existing at a similar juncture of collision and divergence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
Ryan Bourne is an economics scholar at the Cato Institute.—
Ryan Bourne,
Washington Post,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Tech pioneer adept at shifting gears Atom Power was co-founded in 2015 by Kouroussis and Ryan Kennedy as a UNC Charlotte incubator, a project that started at the college before spinning off its own company and moving to the Lake Norman area.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Alouette has become an adept of dye recipes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beasley even lit up the scoreboard consistently across the globe in China, affording him unquestioned credentials as an offensive wizard worldwide.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
At the time, Soros, along with the financiers Julian Robertson and Michael Steinhardt, defined the public image of hedge-fund managers as investment wizards who made fortunes through huge bets, contrarian calls, iron stomachs, and a willingness to operate close to—or over—the regulatory line.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The artist, Reven Marie Swanson, has art installations across the country, and even some overseas.—
Michael Abeyta,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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As the city gears up for America's 250th birthday party, artists at Huddle, a gallery in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, are looking back to the Bicentennial.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Noun
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He was widely celebrated as a virtuoso who nurtured America’s economic well-being and whose nearly every utterance was parsed for clues as to where interest rates, the economy and the financial markets might be headed.—
Paul Wiseman,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
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The German drum virtuoso wasn’t deeply familiar with the band’s repertoire when Lee and Lifeson first brought her to Toronto to jam.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
14 June 2026
Noun
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But according to fashion guru Tan France, some of those tensions sparked before the cameras even started rolling.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 June 2026
-
The program will be run under Scott Belsky, a longtime digital guru at Adobe and the co-founded of creative platform Behance who has a team of about two dozen at the studio, a fairly large number gives its otherwise efficient staffing.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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