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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
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
This is a very different approach to sister-in-law Kate Middleton, and Harry’s older brother, Prince William, who have so far welcomed three royal babies into the world, and are kind of a dab hand at the whole thing.
—Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, 11 Apr. 2019
The returning characters include Lucius Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and steely, brilliant Edna Mode (voiced by director Bird), who turns out to be a dab hand at babysitting the literal fireball Jack-Jack.
—Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2018
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
This is a very different approach to sister-in-law Kate Middleton, and Harry’s older brother, Prince William, who have so far welcomed three royal babies into the world, and are kind of a dab hand at the whole thing.
—Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, 11 Apr. 2019
The returning characters include Lucius Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and steely, brilliant Edna Mode (voiced by director Bird), who turns out to be a dab hand at babysitting the literal fireball Jack-Jack.
—Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab hand
Noun
-
Unlike consulting, where an expert provides recommendations, coaching ensures that leaders develop the capability to solve problems independently and sustain long-term growth.—
Gamze Acar Bayraktaroglu,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Every tax article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of tax products.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This was just the beginning of how young tech masters worked on ways to share music across the internet.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Setting up trekking pole tents takes a little practice to master, but Lanshan’s convenient hook system makes the process easy.—
Alice Bennett,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Newsweek has reached out to several legal scholars for comment via email on Sunday.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Her fate remains one of literature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries, drawing the fascination of scholars, writers and literary enthusiasts.—
Patti Callahan Henry,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Perhaps Sheridan’s greatest magic trick occurs on Landman, where the adept acting of Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm make the case that Thornton’s oil-field fixer and Hamm’s billionaire are the true American martyrs.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.—
Holland Cotter,
New York Times,
26 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
See, the people behind the martech need to be wizards a bit, too.—
Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The new wands, now on sale, come with the ability to be personalized with a wizard name, lead to exclusive adventures and build House Points, a daily competition among Hogwarts’ wizards.—
Dewayne Bevil,
Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The set is the standalone remixed, reworked version of Brat, where every tune is turned into a collaboration with another artist.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
The concept: New artists created works reimagining the museum as a living, breathing witness to history.—
Isaac Avilucea,
Axios,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The virtuoso made his solo stage debut at Lollapalooza Hobipalooza on July 31, 2022 an hour-long showcase of his skills as a seasoned entertainer, performing tracks from Jack in the Box, his mixtape Hope World, and various BTS albums.—
Zoe Guy,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Starr is also accompanied by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brenda Lee (whose career predates the Beatles) and contemporary bluegrass virtuoso Tuttle.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Its dominance of ball control and pressing has translated into advantages of 40-14 in shot-creating actions and 54-18 in touches in the attacking penalty area – dominance no MLS guru outside SDFC would’ve forecast.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Few are more equipped to determine if Smith is ready to handle the rigors of major-league life than Brown, a draft guru who may have another reason to consider carrying Smith on Opening Day.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share