as in delighting
to take part in an activity in a superficial way
She dabbled in drawing and painting but sculpture was her favorite medium.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in entertaining
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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 dabbling
Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
Success doesn’t come from dabbling in a dozen different directions.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
His father, Jean-Philippe, was a basketball player and after dabbling in basketball and soccer, Fils chose tennis.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Clones are as much a sci-fi staple as robots, spaceships, and time travel, with every major franchise dabbling with duplicates somewhere down the line.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Adjective
Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.
—Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
Success doesn’t come from dabbling in a dozen different directions.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
His father, Jean-Philippe, was a basketball player and after dabbling in basketball and soccer, Fils chose tennis.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Clones are as much a sci-fi staple as robots, spaceships, and time travel, with every major franchise dabbling with duplicates somewhere down the line.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabbling
Adjective
-
The main floor features a flowing open-concept living room, a gourmet kitchen with a double-wide island ripe for entertaining, and a formal dining room perfect for family gatherings .—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2025
-
Snag outdoor storage boxes, side tables, and rolling bar carts for entertaining.—
Rachel Trujillo,
People.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Deion Sanders began his NFL career with the Falcons in 1989, also playing baseball for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves well into the 1990s.—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Through goofy quips, energetic displays of enthusiasm, and consistent perseverance, Derek continues to push himself and his classmates toward a productive (and silly) semester of learning.—
Caroline Beck,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
-
Despite his affectionate nature and goofy charm, no one ever came to reclaim him—and no one has shown any interest in him since.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
That certainly makes for a fun promotional campaign, where pithy jokes and silly moments abound in the trailers and on posters.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
1 July 2025
-
When the dancing got underway, Laine and Smith had a fun surprise in store for their guests.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
The case was labeled as frivolous by 1st Amendment experts.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
-
The move prompted an outcry by First Amendment experts who denounced the lawsuit as frivolous and the talks to reach Tuesday's settlement as a shake-down.—
MEG JAMES LOS ANGELES TIMES,
arkansasonline.com,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
The amusing interaction comes a few days after Plum appeared to urge referees to give Clark, 23-years-old, a technical foul for stepping onto the court during the Sparks' game against the Indiana Fever on Thursday, June 26.—
Grace Jordan-Weinstein,
People.com,
30 June 2025
-
Although many other theories were quite amusing on social media.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
One of Netflix’s big movie plays for July is the sequel to its very silly but very fun action fantasy film The Old Guard.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
-
None of that, however, excuses the silly and juvenile behavior of the Assembly’s majority Democrats last week when the chamber took up a resolution commemorating Pride month.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2010
Cite this Entry
“Dabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabbling. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share