definitions

dibble

[ dib-uh l ]
/ ˈdɪb əl /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dibble ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also dib·ber [dib-er] /ˈdɪb ər/. a small, handheld, pointed implement for making holes in soil for planting seedlings, bulbs, etc.

verb (used with object), dib·bled, dib·bling.

to make a hole (in the ground) with or as if with a dibble.
to set (plants) in holes made with a dibble.

verb (used without object), dib·bled, dib·bling.

to work with a dibble.

RELATED WORDS

auger, punch, implement, bit, gimlet, trephine, trepan, borer, riveter, awl, wimble, corkscrew, jackhammer, countersink

Nearby words

dibasic acid, dibasic potassium phosphate, dibasic sodium phosphate, dibatag, dibber, dibble, dibbuk, dibbukim, dibelius, diborane, dibrach

Origin of dibble

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

Related forms

dib·bler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dibble

British Dictionary definitions for dibble (1 of 3)

dibble

1
/ (ˈdɪbəl) /

noun

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

verb

to make a hole in (the ground) with a dibble
to plant (bulbs, seeds, etc) with a dibble

Derived Forms

dibbler, noun

Word Origin for dibble

C15: of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for dibble (2 of 3)

dibble

2
/ (ˈdɪbəl) /

verb (intr)

a variant of dib
a less common word for dabble

British Dictionary definitions for dibble (3 of 3)

dibble

3
/ (ˈdɪbəl) /

noun

British slang a policeman

Word Origin for dibble

C20: allusion to the police officer of that name in the children's animated cartoon Top Cat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012