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.

---

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

---

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

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

Vinícius Junior scored Brazil's equaliser against Morocco but was unable to dribble past his opponent with any of his nine attempts in the game.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Offered a bottle of water, Kingsley asks for a glass, explaining he doesn’t want to dribble on the sharp suit he’s wearing for the upcoming event.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

He is a left-footed right-winger who has excellent close control and loves to dribble.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

“It’s kind of hard to dribble back here, so I mainly work on my shooting. Trying to up my three-point percentage.”

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

Tel completed more dribbles, with 39 to Gakpo's 34, although Gakpo posted the slightly better success rate at 45.95%.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

At Cagliari, Palestra attempted 73 dribbles over distances of more than 5m - the most by any defender in Serie A - with only Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz recording more in the competition.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

When Mbappe dribbles, it's normally with more pace.

From BBC ● Jun. 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

After their meals, I wipe and clean the children’s hands and faces of dirt and dribbles.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

While just two players have dribbled past their opponent more than Lionel Messi at this World Cup, his team-mates have rarely attempted to do the same.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

To be fair to Maradona, he then scored probably the greatest World Cup goal of all time as he dribbled through half the England team, rounded Shilton and slotted home to double Argentina's lead.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Davidson’s best sequence of the night came in the third quarter, when she came off a screen, dribbled down to the baseline, spun between two defenders and hit a soft jumper from the wing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025

I scooped up the ball and dribbled to the spot Drew had made his perfect shot from.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

England fan completes challenge dribbling ball from Africa.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 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

There is also a significant difference in their dribbling numbers, something that has been evident this summer.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 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

He was practicing sets and hooks, dribbling and pivots.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• drizzle
• ooze
• squirt