- present participle of dab.
dabbing
Americannoun
-
the consumption of cannabis by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.
Experts agree that dabbing is more addictive than smoking.
-
Also called dabbin'. the act of performing 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 as a celebratory posture in sports or other competitions.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dabbing
First recorded in 2000–05; dab 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “to consume cannabis” dabbing for def. 1; in the sense “a dance step” dabbing for def. 2 ) + -ing 1 ( def. )
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:
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
When she’s asked to imagine her life after “Hacks,” Einbinder’s face suddenly turns pink, a folded tissue appears, and she’s dabbing away tears.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
Mami is trying to control herself, but she keeps dabbing at her eyes with one of Papi’s handkerchiefs.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
"It's very dreadful," Mrs. Hardy was saying, between dabbings of her perfumed handkerchief on eyes that bore witness to the genuineness of her distress.
From The Cow Puncher by Stead, Robert J. C.
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.
