as in trickling
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dribbling
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025
Schuyler Dixon, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Ivisic made his way down the floor, got the ball at the three-point line, took two steps without dribbling and threw down a poster dunk of his own.
—Ryan Brennan
march 25, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Taylor Huff got one back in the 56th minute, dribbling into the box and finishing off the left post.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2026
After dribbling between his legs, Mark switched up and leaned to his right and let loose with a dagger jumper from 20 feet out.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
Raúl had taught us dribbling tricks and how to hit a header from a corner shot.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Their play is a symphony of cheers and swishes, conversation and laughter, dribbling balls and rattling rims.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Their relentless and slick positional rotations routinely pull opponents disastrously out of shape, allowing their blistering speed and dribbling skill to exploit the space created, aided by the attacking thrust of Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi from the full-back positions.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
He had been cleared for individual work late last week, and had shed his cast and was focusing on non-contact work like dribbling and shooting.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
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
After Blakes lost the ball dribbling toward the basket for what would have been a tying shot, the Commodores had to foul three times just to get Notre Dame to the free-throw line.
—Schuyler Dixon, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Ivisic made his way down the floor, got the ball at the three-point line, took two steps without dribbling and threw down a poster dunk of his own.
—Ryan Brennan
march 25, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Taylor Huff got one back in the 56th minute, dribbling into the box and finishing off the left post.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2026
After dribbling between his legs, Mark switched up and leaned to his right and let loose with a dagger jumper from 20 feet out.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
Raúl had taught us dribbling tricks and how to hit a header from a corner shot.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Their play is a symphony of cheers and swishes, conversation and laughter, dribbling balls and rattling rims.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Their relentless and slick positional rotations routinely pull opponents disastrously out of shape, allowing their blistering speed and dribbling skill to exploit the space created, aided by the attacking thrust of Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi from the full-back positions.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
He had been cleared for individual work late last week, and had shed his cast and was focusing on non-contact work like dribbling and shooting.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dribbling
Verb
-
Some of the women were bleeding from their reproductive organs, while others had blood dripping from slashes on their breasts, their bodies having been lacerated with a sharp instrument.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The king hosted a banquet for him in a hall dripping with flowers and gold leaf.—
Danica Kirka,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Artemis 2 will come home on Day 10 of the mission, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Once the spacecraft is past that danger zone, eight parachutes will slow the spacecraft down even more before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.—
Brendan Byrne,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These plants contain cardiac glycosides, which can cause unpleasant symptoms for dogs and cats alike, such as drooling, diarrhea, abdominal pain, abnormal heart rhythm, and even some neurologic signs.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Chewing on the bulbs can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, profuse drooling and burns to the mouth.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The top plate is a little crowded, so rear controls are scant in comparison.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Compounding the problem is that birds flock to nandina and gorge on its berries in the fall and winter when other foods are scant.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To maintain balayage color, it is recommended to avoid washing hair for three days post-application and use hair masks or natural hair oil to keep the color vibrant.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
-
In college, that morphed into her providing free detergent for those washing their clothes.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Portuguese princess who could go from spitting 16s with Swollen Members to dropping ‘Maneater’ and ‘Promiscuous’ with Timbaland.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Because who wouldn’t want to join a religion seemingly spitting out beautiful women?—
Elizabeth Gulino,
Allure,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The evidence in favor of many other unapproved peptides is even sparser.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The options were sparse against the favorite for defensive player of the year honors.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Reduce oven temperature to 375° and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling, 75–90 minutes longer.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
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So many grassroots groups organized to counter Bolsonaro’s attacks on COVID-19 vaccines that researchers began to map the campaigns bubbling up across the country.—
Jessica A.J. Rich,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dribbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dribbling. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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