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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daub
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
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
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
Researchers expected the dogs to pay most attention to the cat doll, particularly when daubed with the feline scent.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
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
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
-
Leave enough room to mow around the tree, cut it back each season, and make any repairs to your fence, such as staining or board replacement.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
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In some stretches, the water is stained with chemical residue.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
But the pigment and gum are largely invisible, because harding and Upkett smeared them with white paint used by the Carnegie Museum to cover its walls.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
-
The Orbánists first ignored them, then smeared them.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Noun
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An opportunity drawing will be held for an 8-foot-by-8-foot shed to boost fundraising.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
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On the morning after the April 22 drawing, Huesgen received an email from the lottery that took him by surprise.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
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And one track prominently features a country singer, a drastic departure from the usual Fire-Toolz mélange of screensaver EDM, Hypercolor death metal, blackened new age, and copious other mutant genres that usually don’t mix.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
8 May 2026
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The mosque is blackened and burned, the minaret split in two.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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During their testimonies, Prasad and Patlola painted very different pictures of the terms of their lease agreement.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
For Labour leader and current Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the heavy losses on city councils across England, even with votes still being counted in Scotland and Wales, paint a bruising picture.—
Inaya Folarin Iman,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The Adam Lippes design replaced the cleaner line of the tuxedo with a wider skirt and a more formal portrait neckline, keeping the color restrained while giving the silhouette more volume.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
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The imagery, made in Haiti, New York, Florida, and her current home of Los Angeles, uses both personal, documentary photographs and more surreal, formal portraits to link Cadet’s personal history to a broader meditation on the Black diasporic experience.—
Elly Fishman,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
Verb
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But as filming continued, Pidgeon appeared to dirty her butter blond with caramel and chocolate shades similar to Bessette-Kennedy’s, thanks to stylist Kari Hill.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This gel-like substance coats your gut and binds to cholesterol, preventing it from entering your bloodstream.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
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Certain mascaras, foundations and dental flosses also use PFAS as texture or coating agents.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daub. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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