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
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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
as in trickling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dribbling
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
His bulldozer dribbling style was too much for the Olympiacos centre-halves — but on this occasion, the finish was missing.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
But that’s a lot different than dribbling a basketball and colliding with some of the most rugged players in the sport during game action.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025
Grainy video from 1975 shows the late Musselman’s Minnesota Gophers team juggling basketballs, launching trick shots and dribbling in unison to the Harlem Globetrotters’ theme music.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Sporting was awarded the spot kick after a video review revealed Shapi Suleymanov had been fouled while dribbling in on goal.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Dowman gave Arsenal a different dimension with his dribbling ability which led to the award of a penalty kick from which Gyokeres scored his second of the game.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The robots were seen dribbling and kicking the ball on Monday, ahead of the games.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Just to get guys thinking and moving without over-dribbling and turning it into a one-on-one.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
His bulldozer dribbling style was too much for the Olympiacos centre-halves — but on this occasion, the finish was missing.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
But that’s a lot different than dribbling a basketball and colliding with some of the most rugged players in the sport during game action.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025
Grainy video from 1975 shows the late Musselman’s Minnesota Gophers team juggling basketballs, launching trick shots and dribbling in unison to the Harlem Globetrotters’ theme music.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Sporting was awarded the spot kick after a video review revealed Shapi Suleymanov had been fouled while dribbling in on goal.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Dowman gave Arsenal a different dimension with his dribbling ability which led to the award of a penalty kick from which Gyokeres scored his second of the game.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The robots were seen dribbling and kicking the ball on Monday, ahead of the games.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dribbling
Verb
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Gucci is clearly embracing jewelry as the characters were dripping with huge pieces, including big ’80s-style earrings.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Something sticky was dripping out of the cabinet.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Guard Chelsea Gray scored eight of her 17 points in overtime, splashing two critical 3-pointers.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Other ways to stimulate the vagus nerve include cold exposure, like splashing cold water on your face or taking a brief cold shower.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Popular Science,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Well, then it’s being stolen right out from under its retracting proboscis, which is actually just another drooling head that lives in its mouth.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
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The most common symptoms of teething include drooling, putting fingers or fists in their mouth, swollen or puffy gums, difficulty sleeping, crankiness and fussiness, per the institution.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group sees ample opportunity for partnership with some of the denim industry’s leading finishing innovators, who have worked to replace stone-washing techniques—which are polluting and water-guzzling—with lasers to achieve whiskering and distressing.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
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To maintain its quality, the brand suggests washing it separately in cold water on a gentle laundry cycle.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bohumila gagged, spitting beer all over herself.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
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As stated, the rules committee is starting to crack down on any sort of action that would be deemed as unsportsmanlike, and that was evident in Week 1 when Eagles star Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Spoon a scant 1 tablespoon pepper jelly in center of each pastry square; top each with 1/4 cup ham mixture.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
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The answers touched on Colorado’s scant investment in research, its misguided personnel decisions and its lack of urgency in improving its roster.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While your cider is reducing on the stove, your kitchen fills with the fragrance of warm spices and bubbling sugar.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Sep. 2025
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Bake in preheated oven until cheese has melted and mixture is bubbling around edges, about 10 minutes.—
Marianne Williams,
Southern Living,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For now, Swifties only have the song titles, multiple variant covers, and sparse details shared during the singer’s two-hour long New Heights podcast appearance to shape their understanding of the album.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
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The pros and cons of sparse attention An AI model makes decisions based on its training data and new information, such as a prompt.—
Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dribbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dribbling. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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