1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

dribbling 1 of 2

adjective

as in trickling

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

dribbling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dribble
1
as in dripping
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 splashing
to flow in a broken irregular stream rainwater dribbling along the partially clogged gutter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in drooling
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 dribbling
Adjective
In a recent lab demonstration done by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the compact humanoid moved with surprising fluidity—dribbling, passing, and sinking shots after practising thousands of simulated drills. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
Cardoso’s dribbling abilities gave the Tigers fits all nights. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026 His movement, dribbling ability and raw talent definitely stuck in my memory. — Amitai Winehouse, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Until the 85th minute, when Messi, off a short corner kick, attracted three defenders while dribbling in. — Sean Gregory, Time, 15 July 2026 Norway finally managed to apply some pressure in the attacking third, leading to a loose ball dribbling in the box. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 July 2026 Now with Antetokounmpo as a teammate after the Heat’s trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, Mitchell is dribbling off to Greece in a week. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026 The Manchester United player ran a quick give-and-go with Nicolas Pépé, taking the short return pass and then dribbling through the Norwegian defense. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dribbling
  1. scant
  2. dripping
  3. splashing
  4. drooling
  5. sparse
  6. washing
  7. spitting
  8. scanty
Adjective
  • Amtrak paid for its own assessment but has shared scant details.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Flashpoints While more details about the meeting are expected to be released in the days to come, specifics are scant so far.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz,Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of scant
Verb
  • In a twist on tailoring, jackets dripping with fringe made their way down the runway at Monse.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Zendaya, who was a nominee for her powerful performance on the HBO drama Euphoria, wore a glamorous Prada gown dripping with crystals that was styled by Law Roach.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of dripping
Verb
  • Platt shot cellphone video showing ferocious waves spilling over the promenade along East Brigantine Avenue on Saturday, pushing two bike racks aside and splashing Mayor Vince Sera.
    — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • And don’t forget to pack your best red outfit for Virgin’s over-the-top deck party, Scarlet Night, which inevitably ends up with everyone splashing around in the pool until the wee hours of the morning.
    — Megan duBois, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of splashing
Verb
  • All three judges are basically drooling over how much pure quickstep content is in this routine despite some framework issues and the mistake at the end.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Toward the end of the film, that kid is grown up and stuck in an incestuous relationship with his mother, while a nearly incapacitated Dau sits drooling nearby.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of drooling
Adjective
  • If tree canopies looked denser in previous years but are starting to look sparse, your trees may be in trouble.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 28 Sep. 2026
  • However, sparse physical controls force heavy reliance on voice commands or the companion app, and the broader conceptual AI features fall short of being genuinely useful.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sparse
Verb
  • Additionally, the project’s closed-loop water system prevents nutrients from washing into nearby rivers, where runoff from conventional cotton production can contribute to eutrophication.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • From SheetsGate to purposefully washing Joy’s uniforms with rags, the laundry room has unleashed something deranged in Gen.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • Neutrons are unstable when they’re not bound in nuclei, spontaneously spitting out lighter particles in about 15 minutes to become the slightly lighter proton.
    — Cara Giovanetti, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Of course, Nicole made her presence felt in other ways as well, including spitting water into Jeremiah’s face and projectile vomiting all over the tribe camp.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of spitting
Adjective
  • They are being asked to do it with scanty documentation, including proof that the Historic Preservation Board is causing unnecessary delay.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2026
  • Although the details are scanty, the potential DOE funding is likely to be directed towards this demonstration facility.
    — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026
Definition of scanty

Browse Nearby Words

dribbles
dribbling
driblet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dribbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dribbling. Accessed 1 Oct. 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 slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All