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drab

1
[ drab ]
/ drĂŠb /
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See synonyms for: drab / drabs / drabness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, drab·ber, drab·best.
dull; cheerless; lacking in spirit, brightness, etc.
having the color drab.
noun
dull gray; dull brownish or yellowish gray.
any of several fabrics of this color, especially of thick wool or cotton.
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Origin of drab

1
1535–45; <Middle French drap<Late Latin drappus piece of cloth

OTHER WORDS FROM drab

drably, adverbdrabness, noun

Words nearby drab

Other definitions for drab (2 of 2)

drab2
[ drab ]
/ drĂŠb /

noun Archaic.
a dirty, untidy woman; slattern.
a prostitute.
verb (used without object), drabbed, drab·bing.
to associate with drabs.

Origin of drab

2
First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps akin to Dutch drab “dregs, lees,” obsolete Dutch drablen “to run or tramp about”; cf. drabble, draff
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use drab in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drab (1 of 2)

drab1
/ (drĂŠb) /

adjective drabber or drabbest
dull; dingy; shabby
cheerless; drearya drab evening
of the colour drab
noun
a light olive-brown colour
a fabric of a dull grey or brown colour

Derived forms of drab

drably, adverbdrabness, noun

Word Origin for drab

C16: from Old French drap cloth, from Late Latin drappus, perhaps of Celtic origin

British Dictionary definitions for drab (2 of 2)

drab2
/ (drĂŠb) archaic /

noun
a slatternly woman
a whore
verb drabs, drabbing or drabbed
(intr) to consort with prostitutes

Word Origin for drab

C16: of Celtic origin; compare Scottish Gaelic drabag
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with drab

drab

see dribs and drabs.

The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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