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
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Police and fire rescue experts say this is also serves a reminder to always wear personal flotation devices in and around rivers, creeks, ditches and lakes.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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But despite this, experts say the lack of AI play is not the main reason why global investors are exiting India.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
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The hotel offers an exclusive excursion to the nearby home of the late master perfumer Serge Lutens, which is not open to the public and does not allow photos.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Judith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the Ohio State University and later earned a master’s degree at Northwestern University.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The facility's revelation came less than two years after North Korea unveiled another covert uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, in its first public disclosure of such a facility since showing one at the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars in 2010.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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Other speakers include composer and educator Scott Keever, relational coach and writer Jennifer Luciani and scholar and writer Martin Law.—
Hannah Brueske,
Twin Cities,
2 June 2026
Noun
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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
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Meanwhile, Alouette has become an adept of dye recipes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At the same time, fencing is also touting is status as an Ivy League favorite, a discipline that has historically appealed to artists and egghead-y types including engineers, architects, finance and technical wizards, as well as artists.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 May 2026
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Warm up those wands, wizards, because the world of Harry Potter is hoping to cast a marketing spell over the metro area this summer.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Noun
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What had been a book about Catholic-facing artists became a book about crypto-religious ones.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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Buddhist, recently widowed, and a successful artist, Rose is ditsy and rather eccentric, but is grounded by a 13-year-old step-granddaughter.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Noun
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The guitar virtuoso died days before his 100th birthday.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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Considered to be a virtuoso in the genre, Negri began playing guitar at age 8 and taught jazz guitar for 50 years at the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne, and Carnegie Mellon University, according to KDKA-TV.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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The lineup was stacked and Arteaga, a pitching guru, should have been able to sort things out on the mound even if the group was practically starting from scratch — a more common phenomenon now with the transfer portal.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
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Hijra women live collectively, in households organised around the relationship between a guru (elder) and chela (younger member).—
Vogue,
Vogue,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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