1
as in to stain
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
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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
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as in drawing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daub
Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
The paintings of Mickalene Thomas are big, bold, gaudy, and beautiful, embedded with rhinestones, daubed with phosphorescent color, and composed like crazy quilts.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
The little daubs that represent passersby are miracles of characterization.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for daub
Verb
The burial ground and temple were unearthed when someone tried to build a drainage channel for a modern house; to prevent the dampness of visitors’ breath from damaging the extraordinary artworks daubed on the walls, entry is limited to 80 people per day.
—Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
The paintings of Mickalene Thomas are big, bold, gaudy, and beautiful, embedded with rhinestones, daubed with phosphorescent color, and composed like crazy quilts.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
Much as the eye might want to blot out the offending image, Photoshop it out of existence and daub more verdancy onto this screen-saver panorama, the reality of human habitation, and its concomitant messiness, must be reckoned.
—Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
The little daubs that represent passersby are miracles of characterization.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for daub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daub
Verb
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Outside, people were returning from the aid hub, mostly empty-handed, while empty flour bags stained with blood lay on the ground.—
Mohammad Jahjouh,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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The doors to several apartments on the first floor remained stained with the victims’ bloody handprints Saturday.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Like Mamdani and other politicians that have held a steady opposition to Cuomo, Lander has spent plenty of time smearing the former governor.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
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As if this dramatic moment was not enough, ACT-UP member Mark Chaney took it upon himself to splash and smear several vials of a red liquid onto the door of the City Council chambers.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
5 June 2025
Noun
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These detailed drawings offer a glimpse into a building’s past.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
14 June 2025
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Since 1979, The Connecticut Collection has grown to over 2500 works of art including items from a wall tapestry by Frank Stella, original prints by Anni Albers, an array of sculptures by Wolfgang Behl, and a drawing by Sol LeWitt.—
Andre Rochester,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2025
Verb
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Four months later, the hills around his home are still blackened and toxic.—
Josh Rottenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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Some of the jewel beetle wings had their original green-yellow-red hues while others had blackened.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
Verb
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However, a second source close to Justin painted a different picture of their lives.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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In all, the report paints a vivid picture of U.S. trade wars cascading through the global economy, then boomeranging back onto the U.S. itself.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Even without all that, L.A. has a raft of problems on its hands, and the close-up at the moment is not a pretty portrait.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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Obama was also ridiculed for wearing a sleeveless dress for her first official portrait, though Jacqueline Kennedy sported the same look during her time in the White House without backlash.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Crème Brûlée Steve Granitz Crème brûlée is like butter blonde, but dirtied up a bit for a browned, warm tint.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
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He’s come through with timely hits, dirtied his uniform on the bases and made an impact with his arm in the outfield.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Scherzinger’s face was contoured and coated in a warm bronzer to match the shimmery sunset shadow on her eyes.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
9 June 2025
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Hold cake square over bowl of glaze and, using a small ladle or a serving spoon, ladle glaze all over cake square, making sure to coat all sides.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daub. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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