1
as in to stain
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to smear
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
he begins his nightly transformation into a circus clown by daubing greasepaint on his face
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in drawing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daub
John Hopewell, Variety, 19 June 2025
On the front steps, insults daubed in spray paint were directed at both Mayor Karen Bass and President Trump.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
One church staffer presses a Bible to her forehead while another daubs her stomach with a pocket-size vial of holy oil.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for daub
Verb
In another, an audience get to its feet to applaud a famed film director who’s accepting a prize at an awards gala, his face daubed in Indigenous face paint style.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 June 2025
On the front steps, insults daubed in spray paint were directed at both Mayor Karen Bass and President Trump.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Noun
After another row or two, Daignault’s canvases become increasingly abstract, finally dissolving into blurred daubs of color against black fields.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
One church staffer presses a Bible to her forehead while another daubs her stomach with a pocket-size vial of holy oil.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for daub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daub
Verb
-
Novel staining technique Zankowski’s team used traceable silver and bromine markers to tag cellulose- and latex-derived binders in anodes.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
-
To Protect Materials The dishwater's scalding water can stain or dull aluminum cookware.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Robert Pattinson is unrecognizable with a long blonde hair transformation and lipstick smeared all over his face in a new photoshoot.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
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Outdated Vanity Lights Is your vanity light caked in dust and smeared with eight different paint colors from two decades of DIY paint jobs?—
Marisa Suzanne Martin,
The Spruce,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.—
USA Today staff,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
There will be free refreshments and opportunity drawings while attendees obtain the catalog featuring the center’s class schedule.—
Pomerado News,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the salmon blackens in a skillet, the spices awaken, encrusting the fish in peppery piquant.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Feb. 2026
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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His office in the church is painted in deep burgundy and green, with an overstuffed couch to welcome visitors and his father’s war decorations hanging prominently.—
Caitlin Hu,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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However, the tricolor blend of calico hair is reduced to two opposing shades, which are painted in horizontal bands across the head, in the halo aesthetic.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Exploring different lunar regions with the Artemis program could provide a more complete portrait of the landscape and its composition, and uncover clues on why the moon’s near and far sides differ, how much water the moon contains and how the silvery orb has evolved over time.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The robust, 1,800-plus-piece collection includes everything from photographs by Jamel Shabazz and sculptures by John Ahearn to portraits painted by Henry Taylor.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The spoon even comes with measuring lines for a teaspoon and tablespoon, saving you from having to dirty another utensil.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Beyond cost and cleanliness In conventional battery production, active materials, carbon additives and binders are mixed into a wet slurry, coated onto metal foil and dried.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
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Dip each marshmallow in butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daub. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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