daub

1 of 2

verb

ˈdȯb How to pronounce daub (audio)
ˈdäb
daubed; daubing; daubs

transitive verb

1
: to cover or coat with soft adhesive matter : plaster
2
: to coat with a dirty substance
3
a
: to apply coloring material crudely to
b
: to apply (something, such as paint) crudely

intransitive verb

1
archaic : to put on a false exterior
2
: to apply colors crudely

daub

2 of 2

noun

1
: material used to daub walls
2
: an act or instance of daubing
3
: something daubed on : smear
4
: a crude picture

Examples of daub in a Sentence

Verb He daubed some cologne on his neck. Daub the potatoes with a little butter. Various political slogans had been daubed on the walls. He sighed deeply and daubed his eyes with a tissue. Noun She added a few daubs of color to the painting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Catalino Bravo wears the face of a clown, white paint over his black skin, a nose daubed red. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Ava’s New Year’s resolution, as per an Instagram snap that shows her daubing paint onto a giant collage? Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2024 Someone had daubed the date in mud with their finger; an attempt to mark a moment in time. Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Shop windows smashed, Stars of David and swastikas daubed on walls of Jewish properties, synagogues, and cemeteries. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023 Perhaps future generations will daub colors or make carvings, for instance — but any predictions would be about as accurate as a Wemding citizen from 793 A.D. trying to imagine the town today. Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Three weeks earlier, the pair were posted up at a Highland Park backyard sesh organized by the Swami Select cannabis brand, with the artist delicately daubing marijuana-leaf designs in henna on the back of Haq’s hands and up to her elbows. Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Along with the coquettish beauty of a perfectly rosy cheek, daubing blush beneath the eyes comes with extra brightening benefits. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2023 Around noon, a young man from Hong Kong arrived with a bag of spray-paint and daubed the first new graffiti on the white wall. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 8 Aug. 2023
Noun
Much as the eye might want to blot out the offending image, Photoshop it out of existence and daub more verdancy onto this screen-saver panorama, the reality of human habitation, and its concomitant messiness, must be reckoned. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 The little daubs that represent passersby are miracles of characterization. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 Some of the pictures overlay figures rendered with black lines atop fields of soft, drippy daubs in a rainbow of hues. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023 Each death is a daub of paint on a vast canvas, but for the bereaved, each opens up a gaping chasm of grief. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023 Shimmery Touches Steve Granitz Details like an extra layer of blush and daubs of strategic shimmer help to further wedding makeup. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2023 In the artist Eddie Martinez’s dense, polychrome paintings, each mark is haunted by the gesture that made it and each color seems to demand its own verb: The thick gray drips; a bright red streak declares; a daub of blue hesitates. Phoebe Chen, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023 Actually, the artist daubs on clear Mylar, which is not absorbent. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023 Also known as a gradient roll, the color effect is produced by placing daubs of differently hued ink on a roller and blending the discrete colors as they’re applied. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'daub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French dauber

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of daub was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near daub

Cite this Entry

“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daub. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

daub

1 of 2 verb
ˈdȯb How to pronounce daub (audio)
ˈdäb
1
: to cover with soft sticky matter : plaster
2
: to coat with a dirty substance
3
: to apply coloring material thickly and heavily to
dauber noun

daub

2 of 2 noun
1
: something daubed on
2
: a quickly and carelessly done picture

More from Merriam-Webster on daub

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