as in to delight
to take part in an activity in a superficial way
She dabbled in drawing and painting but sculpture was her favorite medium.
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Recent Examples of dabble
For an action director who’d never dabbled in nonfiction cinema before, the learning curve was steep.
—
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Barlow dabbled in gymnastics and soccer in elementary school and picked up running during college to shed weight.
—Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Millender also dabbled in football growing up, playing running back and safety.
—Olivia Sayer, AJC.com, 23 Jan. 2026
This isn't the first time Bella has dabbled in the double-braid look.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dabble
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Barlow dabbled in gymnastics and soccer in elementary school and picked up running during college to shed weight.
—Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Millender also dabbled in football growing up, playing running back and safety.
—Olivia Sayer, AJC.com, 23 Jan. 2026
This isn't the first time Bella has dabbled in the double-braid look.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabble
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
-
An artful renovation has given the Farmhouse—the sixth stay within the Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa campus—a distinctive design, with an impressive art collection and interiors that delight the eye.—
Paul Brady,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
View Outside’s longstanding literary storytelling tradition comes to life in audio with features that will both entertain and inform listeners.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Before playing in the last four games, Reaves had missed the previous 19 with his calf injury.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Maldonado invited Jaquez to play, and after losing, Jaquez bought Maldonado drinks and returned to his friend group, according to the affidavit.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump’s frenetic social media activity is also aimed more at titillating his hardcore online supporters (and, again, amusing himself) than persuading swing voters.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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In short, Altman may say he was amused by Anthropic’s latest slight, but given his heated rhetoric, the gloves are starting to come off.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And no matter how formal or casual the gathering, every host is always looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer to start the party.—
Krissy Tiglias,
Southern Living,
7 Feb. 2026
-
YouTubers try to make videos that please the YouTube algorithm.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabble. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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