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dabs 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of dab
1
as in jabs
a quick thrust one more quick dab of the brush and he would be finished with his painting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in splashes
a very small amount she added a dab of sesame oil to the dressing before pouring it on the salad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in swipes
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument a bear can knock a man down with a simple dab of his paw

Synonyms & Similar Words

dabs

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of dab, chiefly British
as in experts
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field a dab at finding unappreciated collectibles and reselling them at a considerable profit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dabs

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of dab
1
as in smears

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in taps

Related 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 dabs
Noun
There’s heat to be found in bites with salsa, dabs of hot sauce and, to a lesser degree, the seasoning of the chicken. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026 Smoking was the most common mode of marijuana use, followed by edibles, vaping, dabs, waxes and concentrates, the study found. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 The final version mostly holds itself together, though the front bezel requires either some electrical tape or a couple dabs of superglue to stay attached. — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026 Every page had its own illustration in an airy line-drawing style, with dabs of pastel color. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 24 June 2026 The component parts include herself, a fashionable, high-ish brow, and maybe trashy auteur (Abel Ferrara, Olivier Assayas, Catherine Breillat, her own dad), a strong genre element, and dabs of very deliberate provocation. — David Katz, IndieWire, 20 May 2026 Tokyo Stylez, Cardi’s hairstylist, brushes out a sleek brown hairpiece, and Erika la’ pearl, her makeup artist, dabs at Cardi’s face while the rapper scrolls through her phone, controlling the music. — Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026 Among the other standouts are Klimt’s Blooming Meadow (1908)—a sea of green grass and trees flecked with blue, yellow, and pink dabs of wildflowers—and six figurative bronzes by Matisse. — Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 26 Oct. 2025 The 132 rooms have welcome dabs of color—royal blue desk chairs and headboards and pink and white curtains. — Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabs
  1. jabs
  2. splashes
  3. swipes
  4. experts
  5. smears
  6. taps
  7. punches
  8. sprinklings
Noun
  • No more jabs being traded through social media and television networks.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The scourge of Steve Spurrier Spurrier took too many verbal jabs to list here and took special glee in beating the Dawgs, never forgiving them for beating his Florida Gators in his 1966 senior season, ruining their SEC championship hopes.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of jabs
Noun
  • For all the back-to-back work, there were some splashes of imposter syndrome.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Surrounded by towering trees, Kitch-iti-kipi’s surface pulls rich green and teal hues during the spring and summer; splashes of orange and yellow during the fall; and hints of white come winter.
    — Savannah Born, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of splashes
Noun
  • After years of captivating users with endless swipes, dating apps are now trying to get people to put their phones down and find connection in the real world.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • According to RevitaLash, apply a few swipes of the serum to clean lashes once per day.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of swipes
Noun
  • AmaWaterways arranges pre- and post-cruise stays of several nights in both cities with luxury accommodations, cultural exploration led by local experts, and transfers between hotel and ship.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The exact circumstances in each nation differ, but vaccination gaps are a common thread, leading some experts to question if more catastrophic measles outbreaks are around the corner.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of experts
Verb
  • Darker smears around the crater’s rim contain surface rocks and lunar dust called regolith previously altered by solar winds, micrometeorites, and cosmic radiation over an extended period of time.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The atmosphere works on them a little bit harder and reduces their strength and smears them a little bit more.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of smears
Verb
  • Alan does the table walkaround and taps Funeral Director Joe, who is ecstatic, and Pilot Tomica.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • One of five new Loewe perfumes landing in September, Field Diary taps citrusy notes such as green mandarin and blood orange, paired with lychee, orange blossom and musk.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of taps
Noun
  • And by the way, with how shifty rookie Emmett Johnson has been at this level, Kansas City may quietly have one of the league’s best one-two punches.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
  • According to court testimony, Griffin’s younger brother had gotten into an argument; punches were thrown, and the younger brother fell or was pushed.
    — Jenisha Watts, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of punches
Noun
  • My grandmother’s version typically called just for the addition of generous sprinklings of Lawry’s garlic salt and black pepper—and that’s it.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
Definition of sprinklings

Browse Nearby Words

dab hands
dabs
dacha
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Cite this Entry

“Dabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabs. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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