as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a British mystery writer who's an undisputed dab hand at building suspense
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Recent Examples of dab hand
In addition to the outfits of the characters in her famous self-portraits, American artist Cindy Sherman is also a dab hand at finds for herself.
—
Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
All of which curious George, a dab hand at psychological manipulation, coaxes along with the gentlest of nudges.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
In addition to the outfits of the characters in her famous self-portraits, American artist Cindy Sherman is also a dab hand at finds for herself.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Van Norden, a dab hand with Shakespeare, is a natural for Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Benedict, meanwhile, is an expert colorist, a dab hand with print who knows all about decorative drama.
—Grace McCloud, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
Zach is a dab hand at herbal knockout potions and the occasional amateur amputation, and there’s a scene featuring the latter in which Wheatley indulges his twin tastes for deadpan comedy and head-on gross-outs to the extreme.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2021
Sarah, a dab hand at deflecting sexism and maintaining her professional composure, takes the microphone and expresses her excitement at being on board.
—Justin Chang Film Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2020
That, perhaps, is a little less in the bag, but the Kremlin’s operatives are dab hands at suppressing protests and neutering the press.
—The Economist, 12 Mar. 2020
Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
All of which curious George, a dab hand at psychological manipulation, coaxes along with the gentlest of nudges.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
In addition to the outfits of the characters in her famous self-portraits, American artist Cindy Sherman is also a dab hand at finds for herself.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Van Norden, a dab hand with Shakespeare, is a natural for Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Benedict, meanwhile, is an expert colorist, a dab hand with print who knows all about decorative drama.
—Grace McCloud, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
Zach is a dab hand at herbal knockout potions and the occasional amateur amputation, and there’s a scene featuring the latter in which Wheatley indulges his twin tastes for deadpan comedy and head-on gross-outs to the extreme.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2021
Sarah, a dab hand at deflecting sexism and maintaining her professional composure, takes the microphone and expresses her excitement at being on board.
—Justin Chang Film Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2020
That, perhaps, is a little less in the bag, but the Kremlin’s operatives are dab hands at suppressing protests and neutering the press.
—The Economist, 12 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab hand
Noun
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Then, the movements of these tools guided by the hands of expert human surgeons could be recreated by conventional robotic arms like the ones used in STAR.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
21 July 2025
-
As the deadline approaches for Congress to renew the U.S. Farm Bill, agricultural experts and farmers are calling on legislators to prioritize protecting topsoil in the Midwest and throughout the country, especially as the federal government is withdrawing from conservation initiatives.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Prior to running The Pitt's emergency department like a pro, the master was just a med student on ER.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
-
Moore connected with Fiorito, then an Arizona State University master of fine arts student, in 2004.—
Laura Gersony,
AZCentral.com,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
In addition to being a Sachs scholar, she was named a Gates Scholarship winner — a prestigious award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
-
Robert Osborn, an early thinker on lawn tennis, was also a religious scholar.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
The digital adept also had a nearly eight-year stretch at Teen Vogue.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
-
Slot shares this staple of Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s attacking principles, with Porro adept at tucking inside to disrupt the opposition shape.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Could these wizards find a way to dump Zeke Nnaji’s contract, too?—
Matt Schubert,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
-
The wizard will check whether your PC meets the requirements which are not, of course, the same as those needed to upgrade to Windows 11.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
Shops will host artists, and there will be pop-up bars and live music.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
24 July 2025
-
The cornerstone event, held on Saturday, will also feature visual artists from D.C. and Miami, and will pay homage to the 50th anniversary of the go-go sound, a subgenre of funk that incorporates call and response.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Perhaps the most systematic attempt to bring order to this chaos comes from Google DeepMind, which in July 2024 proposed a framework with five levels of AGI performance: emerging, competent, expert, virtuoso, and superhuman.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 July 2025
-
Even with Caitlin Clark once again sidelined, the Fever have been able to count on the virtuoso scoring talent of Kelsey Mitchell and the veteran expertise of Natasha Howard to help stabilize them.—
Devin Robertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
At least Alexia gets to hang out with her new guru, Daniel Chidiac.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
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On these posts, commenters are asking what shade of Sharpie the beauty gurus are using, with many praising the permanent marker as an economical alternative to traditional lip liners.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 28 Jul. 2025.
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