dab
verb (used with object)
to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
dab
1 American
[dab]
/ dæb /
verb (used with object)
-
dabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dabbed,
past participle, past
-
dabbing
present participle
-
to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
The child dabbed his eyes with the handkerchief.
-
to apply (a substance) by light strokes.
He dabbed the ointment on the rash.
-
to strike, especially lightly, as with the hand.
-
to consume (cannabis) by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.
-
Masonry. to dress (stonework) with a pointed tool.
-
Western U.S. to throw (a rope or line) in an effort to lasso or catch something.
Joe dabbed his rope on the steer.
verb (used without object)
-
dabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dabbed,
past participle, past
-
dabbing
present participle
-
to strike lightly; make a dab; pat.
She dabbed at the stain on her dress.
-
to consume cannabis by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.
She dabs for a more intense high.
noun
-
a quick or light blow; a pat, as with the hand or something soft.
-
a small moist lump or mass.
a dab of butter.
-
a small quantity.
a dab of powder.
-
a dose of cannabis extract oil.
-
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
dab
3
American
[dab]
/ dæb /
noun
-
Also called dab hand. a person skilled in something; an expert.
-
an excellent or extraordinary person or thing.
adjective
DAB
4
American
dab
1
British
/ dæb /
verb
-
to touch lightly and quickly
-
(tr) to daub with short tapping strokes
to dab the wall with paint
-
(tr) to apply (paint, cream, etc) with short tapping strokes
noun
-
a small amount, esp of something soft or moist
a dab of ink
-
a small light stroke or tap, as with the hand
-
(often plural) a slang word for fingerprint
dab
2
British
/ dæb /
noun
-
a small common European brown flatfish, Limanda limanda, covered with rough toothed scales: family Pleuronectidae: a food fish
-
(often plural) any of various other small flatfish, esp flounders Compare sand dab
-
Also called: patiki. a sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebia , common around New Zealand's South Island
DAB
3
British
abbreviation
dab
4
British
/ dæb /
noun
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dabsimple
-
dabssimple
-
have dabbedperfect
-
has dabbedperfect
-
am dabbingprogressive
-
are dabbingprogressive
-
is dabbingprogressive
-
have been dabbingperfect progressive
-
has been dabbingperfect progressive
Past
-
dabbedsimple
-
had dabbedperfect
-
was dabbingprogressive
-
were dabbingprogressive
-
had been dabbingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing dab
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
So the Caesar-ish dressing here is intentionally concentrated: cream cheese for body, Kewpie for tang and richness, and a dab of white miso for the salty, fermented funk that anchovy ordinarily brings to Caesar.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
"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
Already in her still relatively short career, Elle Fanning has managed to position herself smack dab in the center of these two polarities, the perfect combination of classic Hollywood and new age celebrity.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
It’s smack dab in the middle of the migration routes for the Round Valley and Casa Diablo herds, according to a recent study.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
I put a little dab of pollen on top of my head and spoke my words to the Holy People.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
Ofcom said there was evidence that the transmission provider was asked to turn off the Horizon Radio service on DAB at 18:32 BST and again at 18:43, at 18:44 and twice at 18:47.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
Finally, the existing Radio 1 Dance station, currently available as a stream on BBC Sounds, will launch on DAB with new and enhanced content.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
They cited the public interest in enforcing terrorism-related judgments, and the "irreparable harm" they would face if assets belonging to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB, the central bank, were freed up.
From Reuters ● Feb. 24, 2023
However, a full-scale transfer back to Afghanistan's central bank, known as DAB, is seen as all but impossible with a top official who is under both U.S. and U.N. sanctions.
From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2022
To DAB, DAUB, v. a. to peck, as birds do with their bills.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Alexander Leighton
Those low-risk dabs and flicks, nudges and nurdles, were valuable to England on a pitch which required a batter to play the percentages.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
Martha Stewart doesn't do warts, but Cutler edits a wry irony into the artful coverage she dabs on her blemishes, like her refusal to count her marital infidelity as equivalent to that of her husband.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024
A selection of all white suits, jackets and lace dresses also featured in the spring/summer 2024 collection, as did dabs of leopard print on shiny macs and dresses.
From Reuters ● Sep. 23, 2023
His voice was firm, doling out dabs of sweetness cut with the occasional thrilling yelp.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Thatha says something about how all this is so new while Patti dabs at the tears in her eyes.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
In another, a grey-haired woman laid one hand atop the coffin while she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
In the rear open kitchen, Manon Fleury turned humble winter produce into memorable dishes: Fried sweet-potato threads mimicked a mini funnel cake, dabbed with loquat jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Breach hit a line, Zoe Harrison dabbed a kick in behind and Abby Dow chased like fury.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025
His sister Ashley Biden, watching from the courtroom, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and eventually left.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
The pastor paused his stride and dabbed his white hankie at his brow.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Soon, these glasses would make him double over in laughter when she performed and cried, dabbing her eyes with tissue through the frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
We see through her eyes an assistant dabbing moisturizer on her hand, art installers asking where she wants a large sculpture, a man cleaning her pool who greets her.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
Inside, women are dabbing moisturizers, sampling eye shadows and swabbing lipsticks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
"You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have," she said, dabbing away tears and occasionally pausing to collect herself.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
With a hard kick, she split a coconut, dabbing the sweet juice behind her ears and squeezing it between her wrists like perfume.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
