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
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
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Recent Examples of dribbling
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025
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
Sentnor took a pass from Debinha in the 69th minute, dribbling inside through six Utah defenders.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 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
As LeBron James conducted his pregame dribbling routine at the Chase Center, the sparse but rapidly-filling crowd ooh’d and aah’d over the scene on display.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 1 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
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
Sentnor took a pass from Debinha in the 69th minute, dribbling inside through six Utah defenders.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 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
As LeBron James conducted his pregame dribbling routine at the Chase Center, the sparse but rapidly-filling crowd ooh’d and aah’d over the scene on display.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dribbling
Verb
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Finally, the riders entered a canopy of oaks dripping Spanish moss that marked the park entrance.—
Molly Hennessy-Fiske,
Washington Post,
19 Mar. 2026
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With the games dripping out, one at a time, the entire planet is focused on a single match while it is being played, all the eyes of the world resting on twenty-two elite athletes acting out a sporting telenovela, living making decisions without a script, under conditions of hysterical pressure.—
Jeffrey Pierre,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tommy's jump shot splashing from the ceiling!—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Additionally, smaller, regional theme parks like Dollywood and Silver Dollar City have exceptional water parks for some splashing fun.—
Megan duBois,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What causes drooling There are numerous causes of drooling — some benign, others less so, experts say.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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Even a small amount, whether inhaled or absorbed through the skin, can lead to drooling, vomiting, tremors, or difficulty breathing.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While the rest of the world was in its accustomed turmoil, the Press, for which Ireland was the omphalos of the universe, took scant notice.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Details of what the ICE deployment in airports would mean remained scant Sunday, though the president said border czar Tom Homan would be in charge of the deployment.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some employees weren’t properly washing their hands, the cream gravy was stored at an unsafe temperature and several employees were wearing jewelry on their arms and hands while preparing food.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
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Hoover started washing dishes and worked his way up through every position, eventually rising to management during his 10 years at the restaurant.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By nature, llamas are smart, protective, and sometimes stubborn, earning them a reputation as mean creatures and for spitting on people.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
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Carolyn and Lauren are only glad Ann couldn’t make it, lest someone start spitting bars.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The clean lines and walls in neutral or primary colors happen to adhere to the aesthetic values of the Bauhaus style, though for Morgan, sparse decoration is about something much simpler.—
Wendy Goodman,
Curbed,
21 Mar. 2026
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In mid-January, NASA released imagery that showed sparse snow cover on the Rocky Mountains and Cascades — the lowest extent recorded for that date since satellite monitoring began in 2001.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Set pan on a baking sheet; bake until biscuits are deeply browned and gravy is bubbling around edges, 55–65 minutes.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
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Plus, bubbling beneath all of that is what the Angels believe is a pool of young arms ready to burst onto the scene.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dribbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dribbling. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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