dub

¹

[ duhb ]

verb (used with object)

, dubbed, dub·bing.

1. to invest with any name, character, dignity, or title; style; name; call:

   He was dubbed a hero.

2. to strike lightly with a sword in the ceremony of conferring knighthood; make, or designate as, a knight:

   The king dubbed him a knight.

3. to strike, cut, rub, or make smooth, as leather or timber.

dub

²

[ duhb ]

noun

, Slang.

1. an awkward, unskillful person.

dub

³

[ duhb ]

verb (used with object)

, dubbed, dub·bing.

1. to thrust; poke.
2. Golf. to hit (a ball) poorly; misplay (a shot).
3. to execute poorly.

verb (used without object)

, dubbed, dub·bing.

1. to thrust; poke.

noun

1. a thrust; poke.
2. a drumbeat.

dub

⁴

[ duhb ]

verb (used with object)

, dubbed, dub·bing.

1. to furnish (a film or tape) with a new soundtrack, especially one recorded in a different language.
2. to add (music, speech, etc.) to a film or tape recording (often followed by in ).
3. to copy (a tape or disc recording).

verb (used without object)

, dubbed, dub·bing.

1. to copy program material from one tape recording onto another.

noun

1. the new sounds added to a film or tape.
2. a style of popular music based on reggae and produced by remixing previously recorded music to which audio samples and sound effects are added.

verb phrase

1. to omit or erase (unwanted sound) on a tape or soundtrack:

   to dub out background noise.

dub

⁵

[ duhb ]

noun

, Chiefly Scot.

1. a pool of water; puddle.

dub

¹

/ dʌb /

verb

1. slang.
   intr; foll by in, up, or out to contribute to the cost of (something); pay

dub

²

/ dʌb /

noun

1. dialect.
   a pool of water; puddle

dub

³

/ dʌb /

verb

1. informal.
   short for double-bank

dub

⁴

/ dʌb /

verb

1. to alter the soundtrack of (an old recording, film, etc)
2. tr to substitute for the soundtrack of (a film) a new soundtrack, esp in a different language
3. tr to provide (a film or tape) with a soundtrack
4. tr to alter (a taped soundtrack) by removing some parts and exaggerating others

noun

1. films the new sounds added
2. 1. music a style of record production associated with reggae, involving the removal or exaggeration of instrumental parts, extensive use of echo, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a dub mix

dub

⁵

/ dʌb /

verb

1. tr to invest (a person) with knighthood by the ritual of tapping on the shoulder with a sword
2. tr to invest with a title, name, or nickname
3. tr to dress (leather) by rubbing
4. angling to dress (a fly)

noun

1. the sound of a drum

dub

⁶

/ dʌb /

noun

1. a clumsy or awkward person or player

verb

1. to bungle (a shot), as in golf

Other Words From

• dub·ber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dub¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dubben, late Old English (assumed) dubbian (in phrase dubbade tō ridere “dubbed to knight(hood)”), from Anglo-French dubber, dobber, douber, shortened form of ad(o)uber, equivalent to prefix a- (from Latin ad- “to”) + do(u)ber, from Old Low Franconian (assumed) dubban “to strike, beat,” cognate with Low German dubben; a- ⁵( def ), dub ³, daube

Origin of dub²

First recorded in 1885–90; of expressive origin, flub, flubdub, dub ³

Origin of dub³

First recorded in 1505–15; apparently same word (with older sense) as dub ¹

Origin of dub⁴

First recorded in 1925–30; short for double

Origin of dub⁵

First recorded in 1490–1500; of obscure origin; perhaps akin to Middle Low German dobbe “pond, puddle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dub¹

C19: of obscure origin

Origin of dub²

C16: Scottish dialect dubbe; related to Middle Low German dobbe

Origin of dub³

C20: shortened from double

Origin of dub⁴

Old English dubbian; related to Old Norse dubba to dub a knight, Old High German tubili plug, peg

Origin of dub⁵

C19: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. dub bright, Shipbuilding. to shave off the outer surface of the planking of (a ship).

Example Sentences

Astronomers have known about this star for decades and have appropriately dubbed it the 'behemoth star'.

From Science Daily

He also wanted the same musicians’ fingerprints on each song, even though they hop from nouveau dub to R&B ballad to folk.

From Los Angeles Times

He left the military after President Biden was elected, saying he’d been ordered to stand down from guard duty at the inauguration after top brass dubbed him an extremist and “white nationalist.”

From Los Angeles Times

But the politician, who also owned a Jaguar himself, was soon dubbed "two Jags" in the press.

From BBC

Police say Sararat, dubbed Am Cyanide by Thai media, had a gambling addiction and targeted friends she owed money to, then stole their jewellery and valuables.

From BBC

Related Words

• designate
• nickname

About This Word

What else does dub mean?

Dub has many meanings in English. It can variously mean “to nickname” and “to voice a film in a different language.” It can be short for double and the letter W. It can be slang for a marijuana “joint”, or $20 worth of drugs. Dub also refers to a popular genre of music derived from reggae.

Where did dub come from?

Dub, for “to nickname” (1600s) someone, comes from dubbing someone a knight ceremonially with a sword (1100s).

Many other senses emerged over the centuries, including slang for “a fool” and a bad shot in golf, also called a duff.

Dub was shortened from double in the 1920s. This dubbing is providing another soundtrack to a film, especially in a different language (e.g., a film dubbed into English), or a musical recording (overdubs).

Musical dubbing (doubling a recording or adding tracks) supplied the name of Dub music. Dub stemmed from Jamaican reggae in the 1960s and features remixes of earlier reggae recordings. It influenced a genre of electronic dance music, dubstep, in London in the 1990s, popularized by the musician Skrillex in the 2000s.

Dub for double was slang for $20 (double ten) in the 1940s and for $20 worth of a drug in the 2010s, as seen in some hip-hop lyrics. Speaking of drugs, dub named a cigarette in the 1970s and then a marijuana joint in the 1990s, perhaps as a form of doobie.

Finally, dub can be short for the letter W, based on its pronunciation. George W. Bush went by Dubya by 2000. Later in the 20th century, dub became slang for “a win (in sports),” a stand-in for W.

Who uses dub?

Dub sees wide use when it means “to give a name” to someone, usually an unofficial one like a nickname (e.g., We dubbed him Fiver since he was always five minutes late to meetings). It also sees playfully lofty use in reference to its original knighting.

Should a team win a game or a person experience some victory, they make take the dub.

NORTHMEN TAKE THE DUB‼️ Amazing game boys! Final score was 20-17, and OP has its best winning record in years! pic.twitter.com/6aDLRhGeeR

— Northmen Sports (@N2SportsOakPark) October 20, 2018

Raina Perez and Jade Vega getting that media time after their big dub! pic.twitter.com/gLvEJNLxnb

— Titans Women’s Basketball (@FullertonWBB) November 29, 2018

Dubbing is still very common in its foreign-language, voice-over sense. In the anime community, for instance, a debate rages over whether it’s better to watch a film in a dubbed or subbed (subtitled) version.

More examples of dub:

“He also says he’d love to do a real dub-meets-metal band, even if he’s the only one who likes it. Which frankly might end up being pretty cool.”
—Greg Kennelty, Metal Injection, September 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.