dabble

verb

dab·​ble ˈda-bəl 

dabbled; dabbling ˈda-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest

dabbles in art

2

a

: to paddle, splash, or play in or as if in water

b

: to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water in order to obtain food

transitive verb

: to wet by splashing or by little dips or strokes : spatter

Examples of dabble in a Sentence

The ducks dabbled in the stream.

She sat by the pool, dabbling her feet in the cool water.

Recent Examples on the Web

The questing has paid off: The serial entrepreneur, who has dabbled in everything from e-commerce to baseball cards, is now worth $2.8 billion, Forbes estimates. —Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025

Prone to hero worship early on, Drake hashed out his style in public, dabbling in rap while working on the Canadian teen soap Degrassi: The Next Generation. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025

Goldman now and then dabbled in reviews, his opinions vigorously pro or con. —Peter Bart, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2025

The brothers’ sound, which dabbles in genres like pop, R&B and Latin trap, helped set them apart from other música Mexicana acts. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

perhaps frequentative of dab entry 2

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

dabble

verb

dab·​ble ˈdab-əl 

dabbled; dabbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to wet by splashing : spatter

2

a

: to paddle or play in or as if in water

b

: to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water to obtain food

ducks dabbled in the pond

3

: to work or concern oneself lightly or without deep involvement

they dabble in poetry

dabbler

-(ə-)lər

noun