1
as in to stain
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 daub
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
Rory Smith, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Also on the red carpet tonight before Tom Tykwer’s opening film Das Licht (The Light), multiple protestors formed another protest, wearing masks and raising hands daubed in what seemed to be red paint.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for daub
Verb
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
Noun
Their victorious players meander over, gathering in front of a chainlink fence draped with handmade banners daubed in the dark green and deep burgundy of Mohun Bagan, India’s great footballing powerhouse.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Also on the red carpet tonight before Tom Tykwer’s opening film Das Licht (The Light), multiple protestors formed another protest, wearing masks and raising hands daubed in what seemed to be red paint.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for daub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daub
Verb
-
Wood filler is the best choice for repairing large, deep gouges, but usually requires staining.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Inside the retro-futuristic Discoveryland area of Disneyland Paris, a full-size Star Wars X-Wing fighter sits on a silver and blue platform which looks like it has been weathered and stained from battles.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ciarlo has been a beauty aficionado from her early age of sneaking into her mother's makeup drawer and smearing Joker-esque lipstick on her face.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Laptop screens get spattered, smeared, dusty, and dirty from frequent use.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There was no picture, there was no drawing, there has been so many lies, so much prevarication, so much cover up.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.—
Jay Cannon,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Her boyfriend had hit her hard enough to blacken her eye.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Always willing to suffer for the cause, Silverman was sentenced to eight days in the clink for refusing to pay a small fine levied after he was caught illegally painting a cycle lane on a residential street.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of listening, her mother-in-law dismissed every point and painted herself as a victim.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The seemingly unassuming coming-of-ager – a sunny portrait of happy high-school adolescence in Seoul – builds in complexity as a vision of livewire student’s Joo-in’s courage and resilience in the face of trauma, unknown and then misinterpreted by her equally young classmates.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The portrait museum has a dizzying array of galleries depicting everything from Old Hollywood to 17th-century Indigenous Americans.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As more success suddenly comes his way, McKinstry has remained the same, friendly and chuckling at his locker, dirtying his jersey and pestering opponents on the field.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
-
Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
The Pan Make sure the Bundt pan is thoroughly coated with baking spray—not cooking spray.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Pour the marinade over and turn the tofu to coat.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daub. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share