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

Fanatics is also starting to dabble in app-only exclusives. —Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 5 Mar. 2025

She’s dropped onto a hostile alien planet filled with space pirates who are dabbling with biotechnology - for nefarious reasons, of course. —Joshua Lamb, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

By Alice Cary and Christian Allaire As far as fashion is concerned, Rihanna has always been ahead of the curve—able to dabble in trends in a genuinely fearless manner. —Alice Cary, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2025

The pairing of Jones and Griner seems duplicative, given both are post-up centers who will dabble in midrangers but don’t shoot 3s. —Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

perhaps frequentative of dab entry 2

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for dabble

• babble
• babel
• drabble
• gabble
• nabal
• rabble
• scrabble
• immeasurable

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