dabble

American  

[dab-uhl] / ˈdæb əl /

verb (used without object)

dabbled, dabbling

1. to play and splash in or as if in water, especially with the hands.

2. to work at anything in an irregular or superficial manner.

   to dabble in literature.

   Synonyms:

   dally, toy, fiddle, putter

3. (of a duck) to feed on shallow-water vegetation with rapid, splashing movements of the bill.

---

verb (used with object)

dabbled, dabbling

1. to wet slightly in or with a liquid; splash; spatter.

2. Chiefly South Midland U.S. to wash or rinse off lightly.

dabble British  

/ ˈdæbəl /

verb

1. to dip, move, or splash (the fingers, feet, etc) in a liquid

2. (intr; usually foll by in, with, or at) to deal (with) or work (at) frivolously or superficially; play (at)

3. (tr) to daub, mottle, splash, or smear

   his face was dabbled with paint

---

Other Word Forms

• dabbler noun
• dabblingly adverb
• undabbled adjective

Etymology

Origin of dabble

1550–60; probably dab ¹ + -le; compare Dutch dabbelen, dabben

Example Sentences

After retiring from skating, Babilonia, now 66, dabbled in coaching and sportswear design, became a motivational speaker, an activist and, most importantly, a grandmother.

From Los Angeles Times

But many people also dabble in corporate bonds and real-estate investment trusts, commodities like gold and silver and, more recently, cryptocurrencies.

From MarketWatch

In it, she dabbles in fiction, examines hardships in Gaza and continues to bend literary genres.

From Los Angeles Times

Like Barbie, Ken dabbled in many different careers over the decades.

From Los Angeles Times

Long before she dabbled with public speaking or modelling, Abena felt a pull towards Africa, a feeling she could not articulate but could not ignore.

From BBC