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Synonyms

dribble

American  
[drib-uhl] / ˈdrɪb əl /

verb (used without object)

dribbled, dribbling

  1. to fall or flow in drops or small quantities; trickle.

  2. to drivel; slaver.

  3. Sports. to advance a ball or puck by bouncing it or giving it a series of short kicks or pushes.

verb (used with object)

dribbled, dribbling

  1. to let fall in drops.

  2. Sports.

    1. Basketball. to bounce (the ball) as in advancing or keeping control of it.

    2. (especially in ice hockey and soccer) to move (the ball or puck) along by a rapid succession of short kicks or pushes.

noun

  1. a small trickling stream or a drop.

  2. a small quantity of anything.

    a dribble of revenue.

  3. Sports. an act or instance of dribbling a ball or puck.

  4. Scot. a drizzle; a light rain.

dribble British  
/ ˈdrɪbəl /

verb

  1. (usually intr) to flow or allow to flow in a thin stream or drops; trickle

  2. (intr) to allow saliva to trickle from the mouth

  3. (in soccer, basketball, hockey, etc) to propel (the ball) by repeatedly tapping it with the hand, foot, or stick

"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

noun

  1. a small quantity of liquid falling in drops or flowing in a thin stream

  2. a small quantity or supply

  3. an act or instance of dribbling

"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 Word Forms

  • dribbler noun
  • dribbly adjective

Etymology

Origin of dribble

1555–65; frequentative of obsolete drib (v.), probably variant of drip

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.

Instead, the prices reflect deals for oil from Oman—just outside Hormuz—and a dribble of crude from Abu Dhabi that gets piped to the port of Fujairah, also beyond the strait’s narrowest stretch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Brazilian Kerlon became famous for his 'seal dribble'

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

One sample: “Chuck Norris can dribble a bowling ball.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Brown immediately was replaced by Perry, whose defensive inattentiveness quickly reemerged when Ward beat him off the dribble for a one-handed dunk.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2025

This time, Roger tried to dribble down the court.

From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

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.