dribbles 1 of 2

noun

plural of dribble
as in specks
a very small piece news about the remote earthquake was coming in dribbles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dribbles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dribble
1
as in drips
to fall or let fall in or as if in drops water dribbling over the lip of the fountain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in splashes
to flow in a broken irregular stream rainwater dribbling along the partially clogged gutter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in drools
to let saliva or some other substance flow from the mouth picnickers dribbling in eager anticipation of the hamburgers on the grill

Synonyms & Similar 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 dribbles
Noun
Most of his dribbles/ball carrying, which Emery considers key for a wide forward, came from wide areas. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 July 2026 Okot applied that advice by limiting unnecessary dribbles and attacking the basket more efficiently. — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 28 July 2026 Appollis made some slick dribbles to set up a right-footed shot from outside the box. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 June 2026 Messi made several dribbles at the backpedaling Algerian defenders before using his left foot to curve a sweeping shot past goalkeeper Luca Zidane for the first goal of the match. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
Verb
Mbappe dribbles past his fellow forward with ease and scores. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026 Fourteen-year-old Karam dribbles a blue, yellow and white football down a sandy path in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 5 July 2026 Antonio Nusa dribbles into the box, gets a defender on his heels, and sends in a shot just over the outstretched arms of the Ivory Coast goalkeeper to open our scoring. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026 The most exciting player might be Michael Olise, who dribbles and passes with playground flair. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 Meleek Thomas #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks dribbles the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026 in San Jose, California. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 24 June 2026 Adam Sandler dribbles the ball during a casual pickup game in New York City on June 16. — People Staff, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026 The next trip down the floor, Robinson sets a hard screen at the top of the key for Jalen Brunson, who dribbles into a pull-up three to put the Knicks up 17. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026 Donaldson dribbles the ball and launches it at the hoop. — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dribbles
  1. specks
  2. drips
  3. splashes
  4. spits
  5. bits
  6. flows
  7. washes
  8. flecks
Noun
  • Calcium shows up as bright white specks on the coronary artery images.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Pay close attention to where leaves meet the stem, the underside of leaves, and within the petals for any movement or tiny specks.
    — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of specks
Verb
  • Massage tools now sit alongside health trackers and IV drips as one of the discretionary categories where younger consumers are outspending everyone else.
    — Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The score drips with a sinister ostinato as the rats scurry into every corner of her castle.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
Definition of drips
Verb
  • Across the street, the Llano River splashes its way over limestone formations and into reed thickets.
    — Pam LeBlanc, Southern Living, 20 July 2026
  • Harry Kane splashes his face with ice water during a hydration break for a FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match on July 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida.
    — Laura Schifter, Time, 17 July 2026
Definition of splashes
Verb
  • The verifier performs some calculations on the outputs of the original AI model, and spits out a high certainty score that this model is GPT-OSS-120B, which is exactly correct.
    — Billy Perrigo, Time, 17 Aug. 2026
  • That shift matters because judgment, not technical execution, is becoming what separates a good analyst from a tool that just spits out answers.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of spits
Noun
  • My most memorable taste, however, was the day’s market catch, a mix of little-neck clams, octopus, and tilefish, served in a bowl of savory brodo made from leftover fish bones and bits.
    — Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2026
  • McCollough thought Watts was a comedic genius, and the pair shared a similar sense of humor, establishing their own bits and improvisational riffs.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of bits
Verb
  • Rather than funding a single program, the donation from the Dimons flows into permanent endowments, which UNCF argues gives schools the freedom to plan for decades instead of scrambling to find donations year to year.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • This force flows from a populational logic that uses statistics and algorithms to distribute the state’s violence work.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of flows
Verb
  • Continue reading … CREATOR'S REMORSE — TV legend Oprah washes her hands of any association with Dr Phil or Dr Oz.
    — , FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Griffin diligently washes his hands after his dogs lick them, especially before picking up a slice of pizza.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of washes
Noun
  • Amid his vast responsibilities running all the departments in the Giants’ front office, Zaidi still found the time to pore over MLB Draft League statistics and look for flecks of gold.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Little flecks of roasted sweet potato pepper the cake, and a tangy cream cheese glaze is a perfect complement to the warm spices and crunchy topping.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of flecks

Browse Nearby Words

dribbled
dribbles
dribbling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dribbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dribbles. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All