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
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
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On tap for the region through Saturday night are severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours that could even produce multiple tornadoes, said AccuWeather severe weather expert Guy Pearson.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
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In 2013, overwhelming evidence, including expert U.S.-intelligence analysis, showed that the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons on his people.—
Kori Schake,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Also, to have that sort of co-sign and support from someone who is the master of the genre, the creator of the era, was a really nice feeling.—
Lily Moayeri,
SPIN,
10 Feb. 2025
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There were boxes of VHS tapes and master reels of most of the historical society programs going back decades, and boxes of Park Forest Reporter newspapers chronicling the village’s early growth.—
Paul Eisenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This month, that work is being celebrated by the Association for the Study of African American Life & History, the advocacy organization founded by the father of Black History Month, scholar Carter G. Woodson.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
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Typically, such studies are led by a prominent person of national distinction or a renowned scholar, and are carried out by a panel of national experts from academia, industry, the public sector and nongovernmental organizations.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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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
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Naomi Goggin Switch to island time—and expect transportation snafus Even with two planners, and a bride adept at project management, there was one logistical hurdle that was tough to cross: local transportation.—
Kaitlin Menza,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The greedy wizard had an idea to build beautiful hotels and homes.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2025
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Looking quite a bit like a wizard casting a curse, Chappell Roan accepted her first ever Grammy by criticizing the music industry.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The boy’s uncles—a visual artist and an aspiring intellectual—add his own flair, while Hinterland, his flamboyant great-grandmother, played by the now 92-year-old Liliane Rovère, regales memories of her home in Odessa, Prokofiev and a life less ordinary.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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The former United States Ambassador to Australia's appearance with Schlossberg, a designer and artist, comes less than a month after Kennedy published a scathing letter in opposition of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bid for United States health secretary.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This was the kind of virtuoso filmmaking Lynch had never displayed before and perhaps would never do again (with the arguable exception of Mulholland Drive).—
Stephen Galloway,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Jan. 2025
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But Ell is also a guitar virtuoso influenced by some very non-country artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But how well Meghan’s products sell at these Netflix locations could determine the American former TV actor’s future with the streaming service or her success as an influencer and lifestyle guru, the source said.—
Martha Ross,
The Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2025
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The show, which stars Kaitlyn Dever, Alycia Debnam-Carey and Aisha Dee, follows a wellness guru who pretends to have cancer to gain a following, is based on the story of Australian wellness entrepreneur Belle Gibson.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dab hand
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
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