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• dab
  dab

  verb (used with object)

  to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
• DAB
  DAB

  Dictionary of American Biography.

dab

¹ American  

[dab] / dæb /

verb (used with object)

• dabs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dabbed,
  past participle,  past
• dabbing
  present participle

1. to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.

   The child dabbed his eyes with the handkerchief.

2. to apply (a substance) by light strokes.

   He dabbed the ointment on the rash.

3. to strike, especially lightly, as with the hand.

4. to consume (cannabis) by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.

5. Masonry. to dress (stonework) with a pointed tool.

6. Western U.S. to throw (a rope or line) in an effort to lasso or catch something.

   Joe dabbed his rope on the steer.

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verb (used without object)

• dabs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dabbed,
  past participle,  past
• dabbing
  present participle

1. to strike lightly; make a dab; pat.

   She dabbed at the stain on her dress.

2. to consume cannabis by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.

   She dabs for a more intense high.

noun

1. a quick or light blow; a pat, as with the hand or something soft.

2. a small moist lump or mass.

   a dab of butter.

   Synonyms:

   smidgen, dollop, bit, pat

3. a small quantity.

   a dab of powder.

4. a dose of cannabis extract oil.

5. 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

1. any of several flatfishes of the genus Limanda, especially the European flatfish, L. limanda.

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dab ³ American  

[dab] / dæb /

noun

1. Also called dab hand.  a person skilled in something; an expert.

2. an excellent or extraordinary person or thing.

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adjective

1. expert; excellent; extraordinary.

DAB ⁴ American  

1. Dictionary of American Biography.

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dab ¹ British  

/ dæb /

verb

1. to touch lightly and quickly

2. (tr) to daub with short tapping strokes

   to dab the wall with paint

3. (tr) to apply (paint, cream, etc) with short tapping strokes

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noun

1. a small amount, esp of something soft or moist

   a dab of ink

2. a small light stroke or tap, as with the hand

3. (often plural) a slang word for fingerprint

dab ² British  

/ dæb /

noun

1. a small common European brown flatfish, Limanda limanda, covered with rough toothed scales: family Pleuronectidae: a food fish

2. (often plural) any of various other small flatfish, esp flounders Compare sand dab

3. Also called: patiki.  a sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebia , common around New Zealand's South Island

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DAB ³ British  

abbreviation

1. digital audio broadcasting

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dab ⁴ British  

/ dæb /

noun

1. informal See dab hand

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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

• dabbing
  present
• dabbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dab
  simple
• dabs
  simple
• have dabbed
  perfect
• has dabbed
  perfect
• am dabbing
  progressive
• are dabbing
  progressive
• is dabbing
  progressive
• have been dabbing
  perfect progressive
• has been dabbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• dabbed
  simple
• had dabbed
  perfect
• was dabbing
  progressive
• were dabbing
  progressive
• had been dabbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dab
  simple
• will have dabbed
  perfect
• will be dabbing
  progressive
• will have been dabbing
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dab DAB dabs dabbed dabbing

For the last few days, smack dab in the middle of his long-awaited breakthrough at USC, Arenas was sick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

Everyone’s favorite analog diarist is smack dab in the middle of a universe ruled by tech.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2025

Her son gently tries to dab it away with a tissue as a nurse comes by with a blood pressure stand.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025

Mencken, who was a dab hand at writing with great verve about how much he hated just about everything.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2024

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

Horizon Radio tried to get the stream turned off multiple times and provided Ofcom with a recording of an apology broadcast in the following hour once it had resumed control of its DAB output.

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

Treasury's view that the bank must make reforms before the department will support disbursements from the Afghan Fund to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB, as the central bank is known, said a U.S.

From Reuters ● Jul. 21, 2023

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

The area AOBEFA, comprised between the arc of the quarter-circle, the straight line BE, and the curve EFA, is equal to the fourth part of the quadrant DAB.

From Treatise on Light by Huygens, Christiaan

Both men pushed through the covers, Root played his trademark dabs to third man.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025

We’re not talking about traditional formulaic “landscapes” of yore — SoCal tract homes swathed in lawns edged with nondescript shrubs and dabs of annual color bought at big-box nurseries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025

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

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 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

Afterwards Nawat appeared at a press conference wearing a tuxedo and openly weeping as he theatrically dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief, claiming he had been "betrayed".

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025

It was a buccaneering innings full of trademark shots square of the wicket as he cut, dabbed, pulled and effortlessly flicked his way to three figures.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2024

Unencumbered by her own directorial scheme, Elliott leans into the freedom of musical storytelling, a mode in which realism is dabbed on rather than studiously applied.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2024

By now Baby Max had turned red as, well, a beet, and Svetlana hurriedly took off several of his many layers of clothing and dabbed cool water on his face.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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

“He never told anyone what to say,” she said, occasionally dabbing her eyes with a tissue as she spoke.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 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

“You’ll have to forgive me, hamshira,” he said, adjusting his loose collar and dabbing at his brow with a handkerchief.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• daub
• smear
• smudge
• swab
• wipe