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dribble

[ drib-uhl ]
/ ˈdrɪb əl /
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See synonyms for: dribble / dribbling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), drib·bled, drib·bling.
verb (used with object), drib·bled, drib·bling.
to let fall in drops.
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
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Origin of dribble

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

OTHER WORDS FROM dribble

dribbler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dribble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dribble

dribble
/ (ˈdrɪbəl) /

verb
(usually intr) to flow or allow to flow in a thin stream or drops; trickle
(intr) to allow saliva to trickle from the mouth
(in soccer, basketball, hockey, etc) to propel (the ball) by repeatedly tapping it with the hand, foot, or stick
noun
a small quantity of liquid falling in drops or flowing in a thin stream
a small quantity or supply
an act or instance of dribbling

Derived forms of dribble

dribbler, noundribbly, adjective

Word Origin for dribble

C16: frequentative of drib, variant of drip
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
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