dabble

[dab-uhl]

See more synonyms for dabble on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), dab·bled, dab·bling.

to play and splash in or as if in water, especially with the hands.
to work at anything in an irregular or superficial manner: to dabble in literature.
(of a duck) to feed on shallow-water vegetation with rapid, splashing movements of the bill.

verb (used with object), dab·bled, dab·bling.

to wet slightly in or with a liquid; splash; spatter.
Chiefly South Midland U.S. to wash or rinse off lightly.

Origin of dabble

1550–60; probably dab¹ + -le; compare Dutch dabbelen, dabben

Related formsdab·bler, noundab·bling·ly, adverbun·dab·bled, adjective

Synonyms for dabble

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2. putter, fiddle, toy, dally.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dabble

trifle, play, monkey, dilly-dally, idle, dally

Examples from the Web for dabble

Contemporary Examples of dabble

Then, about five years ago, I had this urge to dabble with it again.
Stephen Merchant Talks ‘Hello Ladies’ movie, the Nicole Kidman Cameo, and Legacy of ‘The Office’
Marlow Stern
November 22, 2014
For gay or straight performers, and those who dabble in both, there's no industry standard for safety.
Risky Business or None of Your Business? Gay XXX Films and the Condom Question
Aurora Snow
November 1, 2014
Did you dabble in a bit of liquid courage before your Sin City dance scenes?
Jessica Alba on 'Sin City,' Typecasting, and How Homophobia Pushed Her Away From the Church
Marlow Stern
August 18, 2014
In the interim, Herring took a short break from the band to dabble in his side-project—rapping under the moniker Hemlock Ernst.
Future Islands Frontman Samuel T. Herring on Their 11-Year Journey to Letterman and Viral Stardom
Marlow Stern
April 3, 2014
Hourani began to dabble with a myriad of artistic careers, from model scouting to styling to art direction.
Rad Hourani, The First Unisex Couture Designer
Erin Cunningham
January 29, 2014

Historical Examples of dabble

At Vernon, his sickly condition did not permit him, when a child, to go and dabble in the Seine.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
"It is not an alchemy in which myself I dabble," he said slowly.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment
Rafael Sabatini
I said I didn't think it was any use to dabble; we ought to go to the root of everything.
Fraternity
John Galsworthy
Marjorie was saying as she continued to dabble in the water.
The Loyalist
James Francis Barrett
But for this the turf would be a very poor thing to dabble in.
Lippincott's Magazine, Volume 11, No. 26, May, 1873
Various

British Dictionary definitions for dabble

dabble

verb

to dip, move, or splash (the fingers, feet, etc) in a liquid
(intr; usually foll by in, with, or at) to deal (with) or work (at) frivolously or superficially; play (at)
(tr) to daub, mottle, splash, or smearhis face was dabbled with paint

Derived Formsdabbler, noun

Word Origin for dabble

C16: probably from Dutch dabbelen; see dab 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dabble

1550s, probably a frequentative of dab. Original meaning was "wet by splashing;" modern figurative sense of "do superficially" first recorded 1620s. Related: Dabbled; dabbling. An Ellen Dablewife is in the Lancashire Inquests from 1336.