dab
verb (used with object)
to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
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dab
1 American
[dab]
/ dæb /
verb (used with object)
-
dabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dabbed,
past participle, past
-
dabbing
present participle
-
to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
The child dabbed his eyes with the handkerchief.
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to apply (a substance) by light strokes.
He dabbed the ointment on the rash.
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to strike, especially lightly, as with the hand.
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to consume (cannabis) by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.
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Masonry. to dress (stonework) with a pointed tool.
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Western U.S. to throw (a rope or line) in an effort to lasso or catch something.
Joe dabbed his rope on the steer.
verb (used without object)
-
dabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dabbed,
past participle, past
-
dabbing
present participle
-
to strike lightly; make a dab; pat.
She dabbed at the stain on her dress.
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to consume cannabis by inhaling the vapor of heated cannabis extract oil.
She dabs for a more intense high.
noun
-
a quick or light blow; a pat, as with the hand or something soft.
-
a small moist lump or mass.
a dab of butter.
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a small quantity.
a dab of powder.
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a dose of cannabis extract oil.
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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
dab
3
American
[dab]
/ dæb /
noun
-
Also called dab hand. a person skilled in something; an expert.
-
an excellent or extraordinary person or thing.
adjective
DAB
4
American
dab
1
British
/ dæb /
verb
-
to touch lightly and quickly
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(tr) to daub with short tapping strokes
to dab the wall with paint
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(tr) to apply (paint, cream, etc) with short tapping strokes
noun
-
a small amount, esp of something soft or moist
a dab of ink
-
a small light stroke or tap, as with the hand
-
(often plural) a slang word for fingerprint
dab
2
British
/ dæb /
noun
-
a small common European brown flatfish, Limanda limanda, covered with rough toothed scales: family Pleuronectidae: a food fish
-
(often plural) any of various other small flatfish, esp flounders Compare sand dab
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Also called: patiki. a sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebia , common around New Zealand's South Island
DAB
3
British
abbreviation
dab
4
British
/ dæb /
noun
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
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dabsimple
-
dabssimple
-
have dabbedperfect
-
has dabbedperfect
-
am dabbingprogressive
-
are dabbingprogressive
-
is dabbingprogressive
-
have been dabbingperfect progressive
-
has been dabbingperfect progressive
Past
-
dabbedsimple
-
had dabbedperfect
-
was dabbingprogressive
-
were dabbingprogressive
-
had been dabbingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing dab
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:
It’s smack dab in the middle of the migration routes for the Round Valley and Casa Diablo herds, according to a recent study.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
Learning from England mistakes in Perth and his own previous troubles in Australia, Root barely scored through the covers and largely put away any intention to dab the ball behind square on the off side.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
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
Sai Fong got a tiny saucer out of the cupboard and put a dab of each course on it for the cricket.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
It is one of four new radio stations the corporation intends to launch on DAB and online via BBC Sounds in an effort to attract new audiences.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
They will be the first full BBC stations to be launched on the digital DAB network since 1Xtra, 6Music and the Asian Network in 2002.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
The other $3.5 billion in DAB assets frozen in the United States is being sought in lawsuits against the Taliban brought by families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
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
To DAB, DAUB, v. a. to peck, as birds do with their bills.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Alexander Leighton
Sand dabs and halibut, still edible and plentiful there, were held in a net slung under the hull and served moments later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
Both men pushed through the covers, Root played his trademark dabs to third man.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 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
A doctor dabs some orange stuff onto the side of my chest and then rams a small plastic tube in me.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
In another, a grey-haired woman laid one hand atop the coffin while she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
He frequently dabbed at the eye and found it difficult to match Rodriguez's pace.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2025
His sister Ashley Biden, watching from the courtroom, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and eventually left.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
She poured herself a cup of coffee and then went over and dabbed a little brown paint on a coconut.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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
In the courtroom, Giles’ mother, wearing a “Christy’s Mom” shirt, and several other women who showed up in support of the victims could be seen hugging and dabbing their eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025
I grab some brown napkins from a table, and I’m dabbing at my hair when Kendrick comes up.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
