dab

¹ American  

[dab] / dæb /

verb (used with object)

dabbed, dabbing

1. to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.

   The child dabbed his eyes with the handkerchief.

2. to apply (a substance) by light strokes.

   He dabbed the ointment on the rash.

3. to strike, especially lightly, as with the hand.

4. to consume (cannabis) by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.

5. Masonry. to dress (stonework) with a pointed tool.

6. Western U.S. to throw (a rope or line) in an effort to lasso or catch something.

   Joe dabbed his rope on the steer.

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verb (used without object)

dabbed, dabbing

1. to strike lightly; make a dab; pat.

   She dabbed at the stain on her dress.

2. to consume cannabis by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.

   She dabs for a more intense high.

noun

1. a quick or light blow; a pat, as with the hand or something soft.

2. a small moist lump or mass.

   a dab of butter.

   Synonyms:

   smidgen, dollop, bit, pat

3. a small quantity.

   a dab of powder.

4. a dose of cannabis extract oil.

5. a dance move that involves posing with one’s nose in the crook of a bent elbow at chest level while extending the other arm to the side at or above shoulder level, often performed as a celebratory posture in sports or other competitions.

dab ² American  

[dab] / dæb /

noun

1. any of several flatfishes of the genus Limanda, especially the European flatfish, L. limanda.

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dab ³ American  

[dab] / dæb /

noun

1. Also called dab hand.  a person skilled in something; an expert.

2. an excellent or extraordinary person or thing.

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adjective

1. expert; excellent; extraordinary.

DAB ⁴ American  

1. Dictionary of American Biography.

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dab ¹ British  

/ dæb /

verb

1. to touch lightly and quickly

2. (tr) to daub with short tapping strokes

   to dab the wall with paint

3. (tr) to apply (paint, cream, etc) with short tapping strokes

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noun

1. a small amount, esp of something soft or moist

   a dab of ink

2. a small light stroke or tap, as with the hand

3. (often plural) a slang word for fingerprint

dab ² British  

/ dæb /

noun

1. a small common European brown flatfish, Limanda limanda, covered with rough toothed scales: family Pleuronectidae: a food fish

2. (often plural) any of various other small flatfish, esp flounders Compare sand dab

3. Also called: patiki.  a sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebia , common around New Zealand's South Island

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DAB ³ British  

abbreviation

1. digital audio broadcasting

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dab ⁴ British  

/ dæb /

noun

1. informal See dab hand

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Usage

What else does dab mean? In slang, dab can be a highly concentrated marijuana extract, a type of hip-hop dance, or touching the ground with your foot while you ride a bicycle. Doing any of these actions is called dabbing, and yes, you could feasibly do all three at once—not that we recommend it.

Etymology

Origin of dab¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb dabben “to strike, hit,” of uncertain origin; compare Old Icelandic dabba “to strike, tap,” Norwegian dabbe “to shuffle along, walk slowly,” Middle Dutch dabben “to pinch, knead,” German tappen “to feel along, grope”

Origin of dab²

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps special use of dab ¹

Origin of dab³

First recorded in 1685–95; of uncertain origin

Explanation

A dab is a quick, soft application of something, like paint or makeup. You might touch up a clown's makeup with several dabs on his cheeks and forehead. A dab is the motion with which you pat or apply something to a surface, and it's also the tiny amount of material you're applying. An artist might work in dabs of paint, and a baker might lick a dab of cake batter off her finger. Dab is a verb too: "Dab this aloe on your sunburn — it'll feel much better." A dab is a "light, striking movement," from the earlier dabben, "to strike."

Example Sentences

"People don't realise, but cod was not the go-to fish when fish and chip shops started about 160 years ago," he said, revealing that it was dab that first made up a fish supper.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

We’re smack dab in the middle of 2010 again.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2025

Her son gently tries to dab it away with a tissue as a nurse comes by with a blood pressure stand.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2025

For years, as an early-warning alert system, the county agricultural people had been hanging Medfly traps hither and thither among our pretty, fructiferous trees — little A-frame-shaped cardboard doohickeys with a dab of fly attractant.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

I feel her cool, damp snout dab at my cheek.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• daub
• smear
• smudge
• swab
• wipe