dribble

American  

[drib-uhl] / ˈdrɪb əl /

verb (used without object)

• dribbles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dribbled,
  past participle,  past
• dribbling
  present participle

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.

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verb (used with object)

• dribbles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dribbled,
  past participle,  past
• dribbling
  present participle

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

• dribbles
  plural

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

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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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dribbler
  noun
• dribbly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dribbles
  plural

Participles

• dribbling
  present
• dribbled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dribble
  simple
• dribbles
  simple
• have dribbled
  perfect
• has dribbled
  perfect
• am dribbling
  progressive
• are dribbling
  progressive
• is dribbling
  progressive
• have been dribbling
  perfect progressive
• has been dribbling
  perfect progressive

Past

• dribbled
  simple
• had dribbled
  perfect
• was dribbling
  progressive
• were dribbling
  progressive
• had been dribbling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dribble
  simple
• will have dribbled
  perfect
• will be dribbling
  progressive
• will have been dribbling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dribble

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

Explanation

A dribble is a slow, steady flow of water. Or, if you are a basketball player, you dribble the ball to make your way towards the basket. Dribbling consists of tiny drops of water (or another liquid) dripping. If you've ever had a leaky faucet going drip-drip-drip-drip, then you know exactly what dribbling is like, and how annoying it can be. Dribbling in basketball isn't annoying at all; in fact, it's an essential skill. If you think about it, the repeated tap-tap-tap of the ball sounds a bit like the drip-drip-drip of the water dribbling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dribble dribbles dribbled dribbling

In a recent game at Golden State, her dribble behind the back to create space for a 3-pointer left a Valkyries player staggering backward and grabbing her ankles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Of course, it’s unclear what that coda would look like, and if it involves spending a lot of time watching James Harden dribble in circles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The second, an act of pure genius - a daring dribble from his own half leaving England players velcroed to the Azteca turf, before grounding and rounding goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

"All anyone needs to play basketball is a ball and a hoop, a surface that you can dribble on, and New York City has an awful lot of that kind of space," she said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

I pressed the bottle against his mouth, poured some milk on my fingers and tried to dribble it in.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

According to Opta, Williams averaged 8.2 dribbles per 90 minutes last season in La Liga with only Lamine Yamal, Kevin and Jeremy Doku averaging more in Europe's top five leagues.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

No other player has attempted more than four dribbles without success at the World Cup so far.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

"She used to play for fun while admiring and trying to copy Neymar's dribbles."

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

The 24-year-old former Crystal Palace and Reading man has completed the third-most dribbles in the competition and is third for big chances created.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Mom pours dribbles of the ice-cold Coke into my mouth, one sip at a time, making sure I don’t spill on my shirt.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

I once openly cheered as Clark raced down the court, dribbled behind her back, skated past a helpless defender, and drained a three-pointer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

"When I was small I never dribbled much or got past many opponents. I scored a lot of goals, ran a lot, but above all I had very good vision of the game," he said.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

On the field, Maradona dazzled fans as he dribbled around defenders like no else could.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

A sweetly-struck kick sailed over Steyn and dribbled into touch five metres from Scotland's line for a 50:22.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025

Callum didn’t say a word as he dribbled the ball.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

England fan completes challenge dribbling ball from Africa.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

His constant direct running and dribbling mean he is highly valued by Tuchel.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Rodri’s dribbling opened more space for Spain, allowing him to create a shooting opportunity that grazed the post in the 54th minute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

The finding may explain why we can build upon skills, like going from plucking single notes on a guitar to shredding rock riffs, or from dribbling a ball to making cross-court plays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Sauce was dribbling out of the end of the taco and onto her hand.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• drizzle
• ooze
• squirt