as in entertaining
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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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dabbling
Michael Schneider, Variety, 1 May 2026
Throughout her childhood and into high school, Connors loved dabbling in songwriting, often trying her hand at songs about friendship and, later, her tumultuous high school breakup.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
For now, there are no other concrete details about the follow-up to 2025’s Phantom Island, which found Gizzard dabbling in heavy orchestration for the first time.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
Looking at these deals tells you that this is not a company dabbling in data centers.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Verb
Diggs and partners join a space that first grew in popularity overseas, with Hollywood veterans now dabbling in it as well.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 1 May 2026
Throughout her childhood and into high school, Connors loved dabbling in songwriting, often trying her hand at songs about friendship and, later, her tumultuous high school breakup.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
For now, there are no other concrete details about the follow-up to 2025’s Phantom Island, which found Gizzard dabbling in heavy orchestration for the first time.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
Looking at these deals tells you that this is not a company dabbling in data centers.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabbling
Adjective
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Her shelves contained books on correct etiquette when entertaining (How to Do It, or, The Lively Art of Entertaining by Elsa Maxwell) and instructional books covering many areas of life, ranging from gardening and raising Siamese cats to keeping turtles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
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The sale includes dining tables and chairs for entertaining, modular sectionals for lounging, and other seating options that turn your backyard into an outdoor oasis.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
Verb
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This younger Yelich-O’Connor sister made good use of the opportunity, delighting the typically small — but steadily growing — early Day 1 crowd with a hourlong set that nicely showcased her indie-dance-pop tunes.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
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After decades of delighting fans with her brilliant performances in comedies like Private Benjamin, Overboard and The First Wives Club, Hawn is turning to a different medium to spread the power of positivity.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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All well and good—even if the log-line here may remind some of you of this goofy scene from the Sex and the City movie.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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Scott fares much, much better, grounding the movie’s goofier dialogue in broadly credible conviction.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Like Van Ness, Morgan is a former first-round pick who hasn’t yet lived up to that billing but has a chance to do so this season while playing the most pivotal role of his career so far.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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For the first time in nearly two decades, the Eagle Rock softball team will be playing in a CIF LA City Section title game.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Petco Park isn’t a fun place to visit for many big leaguers who are paid to hit home runs.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
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Pauley explains that the idea of creating a shipwreck was fun.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The podcast added its own layer of lighthearted commentary, signaling that even those closest to the Kelce family found the coverage amusing rather than newsworthy.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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The podcast, which has become a cultural touchstone in its own right, signaled that even those closest to the Kelce family found the coverage amusing rather than newsworthy.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The lawsuit was widely viewed by First Amendment experts as frivolous and without merit.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
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Joy is not frivolous, pleasure is not shallow, and connection is not optional.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But that still left the less-than-trifling matter of the second tier’s title to settle, as the teams were locked together on 97 points with one game still to play.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The rise may seem trifling, but staffers work long hours, and a caffeine budget is a necessity.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabbling. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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