dub

¹

[duhb]

verb (used with object)

dubbed, dubbing 

1. to invest with any name, character, dignity, or title; style; name; call.

   He was dubbed a hero.

2. to strike lightly with a sword in the ceremony of conferring knighthood; make, or designate as, a knight.

   The king dubbed him a knight.

3. to strike, cut, rub, or make smooth, as leather or timber.

dub

²

[duhb]

noun

Slang.

1. an awkward, unskillful person.

dub

³

[duhb]

verb (used with object)

dubbed, dubbing 

1. to thrust; poke.

2. Golf.,  to hit (a ball) poorly; misplay (a shot).

3. to execute poorly.

verb (used without object)

dubbed, dubbing 

1. to thrust; poke.

noun

1. a thrust; poke.

2. a drumbeat.

dub

⁴

[duhb]

verb (used with object)

dubbed, dubbing 

1. to furnish (a film or tape) with a new soundtrack, especially one recorded in a different language.

2. to add (music, speech, etc.) to a film or tape recording (often followed byin ).

3. to copy (a tape or disc recording).

verb (used without object)

dubbed, dubbing 

1. to copy program material from one tape recording onto another.

noun

1. the new sounds added to a film or tape.

2. a style of popular music based on reggae and produced by remixing previously recorded music to which audio samples and sound effects are added.

verb phrase

1. dub out,  to omit or erase (unwanted sound) on a tape or soundtrack.

   to dub out background noise.

dub

⁵

[duhb]

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. a pool of water; puddle.

dub

¹

/ dʌb /

verb

1. to alter the soundtrack of (an old recording, film, etc)

2. (tr) to substitute for the soundtrack of (a film) a new soundtrack, esp in a different language

3. (tr) to provide (a film or tape) with a soundtrack

4. (tr) to alter (a taped soundtrack) by removing some parts and exaggerating others

noun

1. films the new sounds added

2. 1. music a style of record production associated with reggae, involving the removal or exaggeration of instrumental parts, extensive use of echo, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dub mix

dub

²

/ dʌb /

verb

1. (tr) to invest (a person) with knighthood by the ritual of tapping on the shoulder with a sword

2. (tr) to invest with a title, name, or nickname

3. (tr) to dress (leather) by rubbing

4. angling to dress (a fly)

noun

1. the sound of a drum

dub

³

/ dʌb /

noun

1. a clumsy or awkward person or player

verb

1. to bungle (a shot), as in golf

dub

⁴

/ dʌb /

verb

1. informal,  short for double-bank

dub

⁵

/ dʌb /

noun

1. dialect,  a pool of water; puddle

dub

⁶

/ dʌb /

verb

1. slang,  (intr; foll by in, up, or out) to contribute to the cost of (something); pay

Other Word Forms

• dubber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dub¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dubben, late Old English (assumed) dubbian (in phrase dubbade tō ridere “dubbed to knight(hood)”), from Anglo-French dubber, dobber, douber, shortened form of ad(o)uber, equivalent to prefix a- (from Latin ad- “to”) + do(u)ber, from Old Low Franconian (assumed) dubban “to strike, beat,” cognate with Low German dubben; a- ⁵ ( def. ), dub ³, daube

Origin of dub²

First recorded in 1885–90; of expressive origin, flub, flubdub, dub ³

Origin of dub³

First recorded in 1505–15; apparently same word (with older sense) as dub ¹

Origin of dub⁴

First recorded in 1925–30; short for double

Origin of dub⁵

First recorded in 1490–1500; of obscure origin; perhaps akin to Middle Low German dobbe “pond, puddle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dub¹

C20: shortened from _double

Origin of dub²

Old English dubbian; related to Old Norse dubba to dub a knight, Old High German tubili plug, peg

Origin of dub³

C19: of uncertain origin

Origin of dub⁴

C16: Scottish dialect dubbe; related to Middle Low German dobbe

Origin of dub⁵

C19: of obscure origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. dub bright, to shave off the outer surface of the planking of (a ship).

Example Sentences

Despite growing criticism of what some have dubbed “AI slop,” companies have continued to launch increasingly powerful tools for realistic AI video generation, making it easy to create sophisticated fake news stories and broadcasts.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

An online petition dubbed the fee a "memory tax", with commenters calling it "dystopian" and "ridiculous" - while one person threatened never to use the app again.

Read more on BBC

During Swift’s album rollouts more than a decade ago, she hosted listening parties she dubbed “secret sessions.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The club had been dubbed the richest in the world by outsiders, but the reality on the ground was rather different as they battled relegation.

Read more on BBC

He was so rarely spotted at FBI headquarters that bureau insiders dubbed him “Two-Day Gray.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• designate 
• nickname 

When To Use

What else does dub mean?

Dub has many meanings in English. It can variously mean "to nickname" and "to voice a film in a different language." It can be short for double and the letter W. It can be slang for a marijuana "joint", or $20 worth of drugs. Dub also refers to a popular genre of music derived from reggae.