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.

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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

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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

It’s tempting for individual investors who think they can sell to a greater fool to dabble, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

Vijay's reasoning was explicit: politics, he argued, is not something one can dabble in.

From BBC

It is not the first time Lego has dabbled in digital experimentation or sought to appeal to increasingly online audiences.

From BBC

It has also pushed K-pop further into the American consciousness, attracting some fans who, like Pine, had never dabbled in the genre before.

From The Wall Street Journal

Similar to Lear, Reiner didn’t just dabble in social causes and campaigns.

From Los Angeles Times