dabble
Syllables: dab·ble/ˈdæb.əl//ˈdæb.əl/
dabble verb: to make slightly wet or soiled by spattering or sprinkling a liquid (such as water, mud, or paint) on it; to bedabble.
Verb
dabble (third-person singular simple present dabbles, present participle dabbling, simple past and past participle dabbled)
- To make slightly wet or soiled by spattering or sprinkling a liquid (such as water, mud, or paint) on it; to bedabble.
- The Itelians […] reſpectleſſe of gentry, of few words, for they barrell up commonly more then they can broach, and ſo may be ſaid to be like a great bottle with a narrow necke; yet they are moſt cunning and circumſpect in negotiating, ſpecially when they have bin tampering with the Vine or the hop...1640, I. H. [i.e., James Howell], “A Character of Itelia”, in ΔΕΝΔΡΟΛΟΓΊΑ [DENDROLOGIA]. Dodona’s Grove, or, The Vocall Forrest, London: […] T[homas] B[adger] for H. Mosley [i.e., Humphrey Moseley]...
- If ſhe [the nurse] obſerves that the ſkin ſeems any where to be chafed, after dabbling the part very well with cold water, and drying it gently with a fine cloth, let her apply ſome common powder to it, by means of a ſoft puff.1783, George Armstrong, “Rules to be Observed in the Nursing of Children: With a Particular View to Those who are Brought Up by Hand”, in An Account of the Diseases Most Incident to Children, from...
- Synonyms:
- bespatter, besprinkle, spatter
- To cause splashing by moving a body part like a bill or limb in soft mud, water, etc., often playfully; to play in shallow water; to paddle.
- The children sat on the dock and dabbled their feet in the water.
- The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life is a chimera. But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington...
- To feed without diving, by submerging the head and neck underwater to seek food, often also tipping up the tail straight upwards above the water.
- When a duck dabbles its bill in mud, it is using the lamellae (transverse plates) on the inner edges of its bill as a highly efficient filter. As the duck dabbles, its tongue acts as a piston, sucking water or mud into the mouth and driving it out again. Only the edible particles are left behind on...2002, Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, “Mallard”, in International Wildlife Encyclopedia, 3rd edition, volumes 11 (LEO–MAR), Tarrytown, N.Y.: Marshall Cavendish, →ISBN, page 1525
- To participate or have an interest in an activity in a casual or superficial way.
- She’s an actress by trade, but has been known to dabble in poetry.
- And now that I have finiſhed all the parts, which I propoſed to diſcourſe of; I will conclude all with a ſhort application to the Atheiſts. And I would adviſe them as a Friend, to leave off this dabbling and ſmattering in Philoſophy, this ſhuffling and cutting with Atoms.1692 April 4, Richard Bentley, “Matter and Motion Cannot Think: Or, A Confutation of Atheism from the Faculties of the Soul. The Second Sermon Preached April 4. 1692.”, in The Folly and...
- To interfere or meddle in; to tamper with.
- [A fellow of a college in Cambridge] freely confeſs'd, that he had for many Years been ranſacking Antiquity, in order to be the Author of ſome new Heresy or Opinion; and that after all his Searches, he cou'd think or fix upon nothing, but what on Fool or another had been meddling and dabbling with.1731, Simon Scriblerus [pseudonym], Whistoneutes: Or, Remarks on Mr. [William] Whiston’s Historical Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Samuel Clarke, &c., London: Printed for T. Warner, at the Black-Boy in...
Noun
dabble (plural dabbles)
- A spattering or sprinkling of a liquid.
- Sir W. Rose has works that bear painful evidence of failing health; indeed, his group of the Duc et Duchesse d'Aumale (705), with the Prince de Condé and the Duc de Guise, is quite unfinished and even blotted. The face of the Duke is refined, but weak; the colour is pale, and the background only a...1858 May 22, “Fine Arts. Royal Academy.”, in The Athenæum: Journal of English and Foreign Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music and the Drama, number 1595, London: Printed by James Holmes, Took's...
- And then methought my dream changed, and two Great Giants with heading-axes came striding over the bed, […] And I woke up with my hair all in a dabble with the night-dews, with my Grandmother's voice ringing in my ears, "Remember the Thirtieth of January!"1862 February, George Augustus [Henry] Sala, “The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous; a Narrative in Plain English, […] Chapter the Fourth. My Grandmother Dies, and I am Left Alone, without So...
- An act of splashing in soft mud, water, etc.
- Happily, however, he [the gnat] is born a swimmer and can take his pleasure in his native element, poising himself near its surface head downwards, tail upwards. Why chooses he this strange position? Just for the same reason that we rather prefer, when taking a dabble in the waves, to have our...1849, Acheta Domestica [pseudonym; L. M. Budgen], “The Gnat.—A Life of Buoyancy.”, in Episodes of Insect Life, London: Reeve, Benham, and Reeve, King William Street, Strand, →OCLC, page 63
- After a dabble in a teaspoonful of water, and a scrape with a bit of an old sack, in a box, which is dignified with the title of "wash room"—for the American cars are, as it were, moveable hotels, with every accommodation complete (including what, I think, from a sanitary point of view, had very...1865, George Tuthill Borrett, “Cleveland to Chicago”, in Letters from Canada and the United States, London: Printed for private circulation, by J. E. Adlard, Bartholomew Close, →OCLC, page 78
- An act of participation in an activity in a casual or superficial way.
- […] I was induced to quit Leeds ſooner than uſual, as the concourſe of company which would aſſemble on that occaſion was expected to be very numerous and productive, and of courſe I could not idly let ſlip ſuch a lucrative proſpect but muſt have a dabble for the loaves and fiſhes.1795, Tate Wilkinson, Samuel Foote, The Wandering Patentee; or, A History of the Yorkshire Theatres, from 1779 to the Present Time: Interspersed with Anecdotes Respecting Most of the Performers in...
- From the separate little tracts and fragments which we have last noticed, (as well as the greater works, which contain a fuller development of his views on this subject,) it appears he slighted what has been termed Natural Theology. He was content with the Bible, without which Natural Theology is a...1837, [Francis] Bacon, “Introductory Essay”, in The Works of Lord Bacon. With an Introductory Essay, and a Portrait. In Two Volumes, volume I, London: William Ball, Paternoster Row; stereotyped and...
dabble meaning in Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada
dabble in Urdu
- بھگونا, چھڑکنا, گیلا کرنا, نم کرنا
dabble in Bengali
- সামান্য নাড়াচাড়া করা, শৌখিনভাবে করা
dabble in Malayalam
- നനയ്ക്കുക, വെളളം തളിച്ചോ തെറിപ്പിച്ചോ കളിക്കുക, അശ്രദ്ധമായി എന്തെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യുക
dabble in Kannada
- ಕಯ್ಹಾಕು, ಕಯ್ಹಚ್ಚು, ಹವ್ಯಾಸವಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳು, ಲಘುವಾಗಿ ತೊಡಗು, ಕೈ ಹಚ್ಚು, ನೀರು ಸಿಡಿಯುವಂತೆ ಹಾರಿಸು
Examples of dabble in a sentence
- When a duck dabbles its bill in mud, it is using the lamellae (transverse plates) on the inner edges of its bill as a highly efficient filter.2002, Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, “Mallard”, in International Wildlife Encyclopedia, 3rd edition, volumes 11 (LEO–MAR), Tarrytown, N.Y....
- As a parish priest in England he had dabbled in the black arts, seduced a number of his congregation from their faith and finally celebrated the Black Mass.1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 30:
- The face of the Duke is refined, but weak; the colour is pale, and the background only a dabble of unarranged and undrilled touches.1858 May 22, “Fine Arts. Royal Academy.”, in The Athenæum: Journal of English and Foreign Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music and the...
- Then I saw dabbles of milk all over the floor and tiny rabbit-droppings in the saucers.a. 1931 (date written), D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “[Nature and Poetical Pieces.] Adolf.”, in Edward D[avid] McDonald, editor, Phoenix...
Synonyms of dabble
Forms of dabble
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | dabbles |
| present participle | dabbling |
| past participle | dabbled |
| past | dabbled |
| Noun | |
| plural | dabbles |
Origin of dabble
From earlier dable, equivalent to dab + -le (frequentative suffix), possibly from Middle Dutch dabbelen (“to pinch; knead; to fumble; to dabble”); cognate with Icelandic dafla (“to dabble”).
Words formed from dabble
Words that rhyme with dabble
Questions about dabble
- What does dabble mean?
- Dabble means to make slightly wet or soiled by spattering or sprinkling a liquid (such as water, mud, or paint) on it; to bedabble.
- What is dabble in Urdu?
- Dabble in Urdu is بھگونا, چھڑکنا, گیلا کرنا. See Dabble meaning in Urdu.
- How do you use dabble in a sentence?
- When a duck dabbles its bill in mud, it is using the lamellae (transverse plates) on the inner edges of its bill as a highly efficient filter.
- What part of speech is dabble?
- Dabble can be a verb or a noun.
- How do you pronounce dabble?
- Dabble is pronounced /ˈdæb.əl/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of dabble?
- The past tense of dabble is dabbled.
Words near dabble in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: dabble (page history and authors); dabble (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Dabble (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); dabble (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); dabble (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-dabble.wav, en-au-dabble.ogg, en-us-dabble.ogg.
Cite this entry: “dabble.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dabble. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.