DAB HAND Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

dab hand

noun

Definition of dab hand

chiefly British

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab hand

Noun

But this should be guided and individualized by the right expert in terms of counseling and determining both the risks and benefits of sports based on the cardiac diagnosis and type of sport engaged in by the athlete.

— Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Sandy Baum, an expert in education finance with the Urban Institute, said the new loan limits are unreasonably low, but uncapped borrowing was a real problem and some restrictions are necessary.

— Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of expert

Noun

Also contributing heavily to that deep black-on-light gray contrast is the custom black entry door prepared by the master craftsmen at Tern Overland.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
These two masters of image management provided colliding—utopian versus dystopian—scenes at contrasting Fourth of July weekend mega events.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of master

Noun

Muhammad Taqi al-Hakim, a senior scholar at the Najaf seminary, led the funeral prayers at the Shrine of Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
In addition to Dafoe and Perkins, the advisory team includes documentary filmmaker Ariel Baska, Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup artist and Academy member Howard Berger, author and filmmaker Tananarive Due, and film scholar Angela Marie Smith.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of scholar

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

Definition of adept

Noun

The books about the life of a young wizard were adapted into a movie series that debuted in 2001 with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

— Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
After climbing the Azkaban Escape Tower to the top, repel-style, young wizards-in-training, Clark and Emily Friscia, were ready to go home.

— Greg Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026

Definition of wizard

Noun

The 24-year-old South Korean artist will also be performing on the Museum’s Ray Charles Rooftop Terrance, where attendees can enjoy the show with views of downtown Los Angeles.

— Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
Tyler married former Olympic martial artist Robert Sullivan in 1973.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of artist

Noun

Just two weeks after Bob Dylan guitarist Doug Lancio vanished from the tour and was replaced by jazz virtuoso Julian Lage, Bob Britt — who has played guitar in Dylan’s band since 2019 — has apparently left the group as well.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026
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

Definition of virtuoso

Noun

His guru, Ramakrishna, was a 19th-century mystic and spiritual teacher in Bengal whose teachings on the unity underlying all religions shaped the worldview Vivekananda would go on to spread globally.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 July 2026
After her longtime hair guru found love with White Lotus star Gage, Kardashian appeared more than happy to officiate the pair's black-and-white nuptials, which also included a performance from Shania Twain.

— Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026

Definition of guru

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dabbling

dab hand

dab hands

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“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dab hand

noun

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