as in delighted
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 dabbled
Other skaters dabbled with the quad axel before Malinin’s mastery.
—
Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Oilers past The Oilers have dabbled in trades that deal a higher pick for several later options.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Apart from acting, Pesci has dabbled in music, having released three studio albums.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
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
Flood brought curiosity to the awkward misalignments of intimacy, and dabbled in self-implication.
—Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Oilers past The Oilers have dabbled in trades that deal a higher pick for several later options.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Apart from acting, Pesci has dabbled in music, having released three studio albums.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
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
Flood brought curiosity to the awkward misalignments of intimacy, and dabbled in self-implication.
—Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabbled
Verb
-
Here, the joyous and the boisterous contrast the dark and insidious, allowing viewers to both be delighted by colorful street scenes and celebrations while the rot of fear creeps in, as the details surrounding our main character (Wagner Moura) and his predicament are revealed.—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
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Twyla Tharp’s ballet Push Comes to Shove, which premiered in 1976, startled and delighted audiences with its coy, self-referential humor, and its flirtation with popular dance styles such as jazz and tango.—
Sara Krolewski,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Supporters have since shifted to reducing and eliminating interest rates on federal loans, which even some Republicans have entertained.—
Neetu Arnold,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Neon Grove is the place for kids aged 8 to 12, entertained with activities that include gaming consoles and skee-ball.—
Fran Golden,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Every one of the NFL’s 32 teams has played a regular-season game outside the United States and is signed up to the league’s Global Markets Program.—
Tom Chitty,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Savolainen played a huge role in Finland’s historic run in the 2019 hockey women’s world championship, in which the country made it to the final against the United States who, along with Canada, had previously dominated the competition and its gold medal matches.—
Hannah Ryan,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
They were probably just amused by it, and Epstein more so.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Dabbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabbled. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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