dribble
Americanverb (used without object)
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to fall or flow in drops or small quantities; trickle.
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to drivel; slaver.
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Sports. to advance a ball or puck by bouncing it or giving it a series of short kicks or pushes.
verb (used with object)
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to let fall in drops.
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Sports.
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Basketball. to bounce (the ball) as in advancing or keeping control of it.
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(especially in ice hockey and soccer) to move (the ball or puck) along by a rapid succession of short kicks or pushes.
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noun
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a small trickling stream or a drop.
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a small quantity of anything.
a dribble of revenue.
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Sports. an act or instance of dribbling a ball or puck.
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Scot. a drizzle; a light rain.
verb
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(usually intr) to flow or allow to flow in a thin stream or drops; trickle
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(intr) to allow saliva to trickle from the mouth
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(in soccer, basketball, hockey, etc) to propel (the ball) by repeatedly tapping it with the hand, foot, or stick
noun
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a small quantity of liquid falling in drops or flowing in a thin stream
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a small quantity or supply
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an act or instance of dribbling
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
Underwood’s ideal athlete was tall but agile, with a smooth dribble and a clean jump shot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 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
His dribble success is down to 23% this season compared to 56% in his first season.
From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025
The boy on the right side in Ben’s line received the ball from Coach Spinks, took one tentative, almost apologetic dribble toward the basket, then stopped and looked for his partner.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
