dab

¹

[ dab ]

verb (used with object)

, dabbed, dab·bing.

1. to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist:

   The child dabbed his eyes with the handkerchief.

2. to apply (a substance) by light strokes:

   He dabbed the ointment on the rash.

3. to strike, especially lightly, as with the hand.
4. to consume (cannabis) by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.
5. Masonry. to dress (stonework) with a pointed tool.
6. Western U.S. to throw (a rope or line) in an effort to lasso or catch something:

   Joe dabbed his rope on the steer.

verb (used without object)

, dabbed, dab·bing.

1. to strike lightly; make a dab; pat:

   She dabbed at the stain on her dress.

2. to consume cannabis by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.

   She dabs for a more intense high.

noun

1. a quick or light blow; a pat, as with the hand or something soft.
2. a small moist lump or mass:

   a dab of butter.

   Synonyms: smidgen, dollop, bit, pat

3. a small quantity:

   a dab of powder.

4. a dose of cannabis extract oil.
5. a dance move that involves posing with one’s nose in the crook of a bent elbow at chest level while extending the other arm to the side at or above shoulder level, often performed as a celebratory posture in sports or other competitions.

dab

²

[ dab ]

noun

1. any of several flatfishes of the genus Limanda, especially the European flatfish, L. limanda.

dab

³

[ dab ]

noun

1. Also called dab hand. a person skilled in something; an expert.
2. an excellent or extraordinary person or thing.

adjective

1. expert; excellent; extraordinary.

DAB

⁴

1. Dictionary of American Biography.

dab

¹

/ dæb /

verb

1. to touch lightly and quickly
2. tr to daub with short tapping strokes

   to dab the wall with paint

3. tr to apply (paint, cream, etc) with short tapping strokes

noun

1. a small amount, esp of something soft or moist

   a dab of ink

2. a small light stroke or tap, as with the hand
3. often plural a slang word for fingerprint

DAB

²

abbreviation for

1. digital audio broadcasting

dab

³

/ dæb /

noun

1. informal.
   See dab hand

dab

⁴

/ dæb /

noun

1. a small common European brown flatfish, Limanda limanda, covered with rough toothed scales: family Pleuronectidae: a food fish
2. often plural any of various other small flatfish, esp flounders Compare sand dab
3. Also calledpatiki a sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebia , common around New Zealand's South Island

Word History and Origins

Origin of dab¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb dabben “to strike, hit,” of uncertain origin; compare Old Icelandic dabba “to strike, tap,” Norwegian dabbe “to shuffle along, walk slowly,” Middle Dutch dabben “to pinch, knead,” German tappen “to feel along, grope”

Origin of dab²

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps special use of dab ¹

Origin of dab³

First recorded in 1685–95; of uncertain origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of dab¹

C14: of imitative origin

Origin of dab²

C17: perhaps from dab ¹(vb)

Origin of dab³

C15: from Anglo-French dabbe, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the collection of more than five dozen tiny islands are mostly uninhabited, due in no small part to the United States and United Kingdom expelling the Indigenous Chagossians in an ethnic cleansing from 1967 to 1973.

From Salon

But Trump has bounced back to a seven-point lead with low/mid-engagement voters, 52%-45% — smack dab in between his 10-point lead over Biden among those voters in May and his three-point lead over Harris in August.

From Salon

For years, as an early-warning alert system, the county agricultural people had been hanging Medfly traps hither and thither among our pretty, fructiferous trees — little A-frame-shaped cardboard doohickeys with a dab of fly attractant.

From Los Angeles Times

Mencken, who was a dab hand at writing with great verve about how much he hated just about everything.

From Los Angeles Times

And during a 2016 debate for a California US Senate seat, Ms Harris’s opponent inexplicably punctuated her closing statement with a dab – a dance move that was popular at the time.

From BBC

Related Words

• daub
• smear
• smudge
• swab
• wipe