dibble

[dib-uhl]

noun

1. Also dibber a small, handheld, pointed implement for making holes in soil for planting seedlings, bulbs, etc.

verb (used with object)

dibbled, dibbling 

1. to make a hole (in the ground) with or as if with a dibble.

2. to set (plants) in holes made with a dibble.

verb (used without object)

dibbled, dibbling 

1. to work with a dibble.

dibble

¹

/ ˈdɪbəl /

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit): dibber. a small hand tool used to make holes in the ground for planting or transplanting bulbs, seeds, or roots

verb

1. to make a hole in (the ground) with a dibble

2. to plant (bulbs, seeds, etc) with a dibble

dibble

²

/ ˈdɪbəl /

verb

1. a variant of dib

2. a less common word for dabble

dibble

³

/ ˈdɪbəl /

noun

1. slang,  a policeman

Other Word Forms

• dibbler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dibble¹

1325–75; late Middle English, perhaps akin to dib

Word History and Origins

Origin of dibble¹

C15: of obscure origin

Origin of dibble²

C20: allusion to the police officer of that name in the children's animated cartoon Top Cat

Example Sentences

Before I understood how to use my options properly, I used to dibble and dabble with my childhood favorite, Duncan Hines.

Read more on Salon

Antetokounmpo was pulled by first-year coach Adrian Griffin after a dibbling violation.

Read more on Seattle Times

“Mizzle” and “dibble” and “smirr” and all those other regional words for precipitation have a gloriously humdrum quality.

Read more on New York Times

You now need — as the British call it — a “dibble,” a tool you can buy or make by putting a point on a half-inch dowel.

Read more on Washington Times

“I’ve seen the body cams be upgraded. I’ve seen the police policies as far as training be replaced. But that’s not enough for me, to do a dibble and a dabble,” Rice said.

Read more on The Guardian