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
-
Some Japanese experts have commented that minesweeping would be a mission that the country could carry out when hostilities end.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Hardliners appeared to consolidate power in Iran as a result of US and Israeli air strikes, with experts fearing restrictions on dissent could be even harsher.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Young studied biology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, before pursuing a master’s at New York University’s Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The master artist layered in cool and neutral tones for some covetable depth while focusing on the hair around her face so as to better structure it.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Predictive text leads to predictive writing As many scholars have noted, though, this vision of writing was never fully accurate.—
Gayle Rogers,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Sam Winter-Levy is a fellow at the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where Anton Leicht is a visiting scholar.—
Wendy R. Anderson,
Washington Post,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Alouette has become an adept of dye recipes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Animal physiologist Peter Hansen, a professor at the University of Florida who was not involved with the Veronika research, said he’s unsurprised by her adept handling of tools given the high levels of cognition he’s observed in cows.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Of all the wizards of modern AI, Amodei, the theoretical physicist who founded Anthropic, maker of Claude, is the most publicly anxious about the impact of his product on the world at large, seemingly spooked by his own predictions.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In this movie, Sophie meets a powerful wizard named Howl, who lives in a magical moving castle.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Shout out to the artists on the wall.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Harms Mahlandt and another local artist made a map for people to explore little free spaces in Portland.—
MAGGIE PENMAN THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The popular hits will be performed by a 20-piece orchestra, with arrangements written by Juilliard cello virtuoso Dave Eggar and conductor Chuck Palmer.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
But this is why, like any virtuoso, there is an undeniable continuity of his work.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Finance gurus say a countywide sales tax dedicated to schools would mean at least an additional $123 million annually for districts.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
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Personal trainers, specialist therapists, and yoga gurus are brought in on request—particularly recommended is the one-on-one reformer pilates session with physiotherapist Tobina Marx, or an osteopathy treatment with Emma Wightman, spirited in from her practice in nearby Stockbridge.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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