1
2
as in sprinkling
a very small amount
she added a dab of sesame oil to the dressing before pouring it on the salad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in slap
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
a bear can knock a man down with a simple dab of his paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a dab at finding unappreciated collectibles and reselling them at a considerable profit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dab
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Tokyo Stylez, Cardi’s hairstylist, brushes out a sleek brown hairpiece, and Erika la’ pearl, her makeup artist, dabs at Cardi’s face while the rapper scrolls through her phone, controlling the music.
—Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Then, use a makeup sponge to dab pink into the center of the nail for an aura effect.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dab
Noun
No restaurant does classic Roman quite like Piatto Romano, a cluttered trattoria smack dab in the middle of Testaccio.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Tokyo Stylez, Cardi’s hairstylist, brushes out a sleek brown hairpiece, and Erika la’ pearl, her makeup artist, dabs at Cardi’s face while the rapper scrolls through her phone, controlling the music.
—Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
Soften Stuck-On Batter If the batter is burnt and just won't budge, dab it with a couple of drops of cooking oil.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Then, use a makeup sponge to dab pink into the center of the nail for an aura effect.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab
Verb
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Farran asked, gazing at their graves — cardboard signs smeared with handwritten Arabic because the war has made a proper burial in their village impossible.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Your goal is to remove messes, not smear them.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gonzalez, who was wearing a blue, button-up shirt and khaki pants, patted the back of his attorney, Jude Faccidomo.—
Grethel Aguila,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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Gonzalez, who was wearing a blue button up-shirt and khaki pants, patted the back of his attorney, Jude Faccidomo.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The burial ground and temple were unearthed when someone tried to build a drainage channel for a modern house; to prevent the dampness of visitors’ breath from damaging the extraordinary artworks daubed on the walls, entry is limited to 80 people per day.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
25 Feb. 2026
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The Place de la République in Paris was daubed in swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans last Sunday after a neo-Nazi rally, and offices of France Unbowed have been attacked.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After half an hour of mat stretches, Mira and two other students climbed onto Swedish ladders, hung with their backs to the wall, and did a set of leg lifts, tapping their feet against their heads.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Either apply the product to the back of your hand before picking it up with a brush, or simply swipe it directly onto your cheeks, tapping it in with your fingertips.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Verb
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And the millennial in me that grew up slathering glitter all over her limbs is rejoicing.—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
StyleCaster,
30 Apr. 2026
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Lagomarsini slathered the oxtails with the glaze, which was dangerously sticky.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Flagg and Knueppel traded places as betting favorites during the season, but Flagg’s 96-point outburst over two games on the second-to-last weekend might have tipped the scales.—
Schuyler Dixon,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Despite their reservations, the guests tip a whopping $28,000, which comes out to $2,100 each.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To celebrate, the president wants to offer free admissions that day to the country’s national parks, a self-serving gesture, no doubt, but one that is no surprise for a man who spent much of his adult life plastering his name on the sides of buildings, airplanes and casino hotels.—
Leonard Greene,
Mercury News,
27 Dec. 2025
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In one scene, Gracie Abrams texts Taylor a picture of the singer plastered on the side of a hotel in Indianapolis.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Michael Carrick made his way around the lap of honour, clapping the fans who were still inside Old Trafford after Manchester United’s victory over Liverpool, which secured Champions League football.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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Spirits were high at the event, with protesters cheering and clapping for speakers.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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