Showing results for "dub"

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Slang dictionary results for dub.

dub

¹ American  

[duhb] / dʌb /

verb (used with object)

dubbed, dubbing

1. 

   to invest with any name, character, dignity, or title; style; name; call.

   He was dubbed a hero.

2. to strike lightly with a sword in the ceremony of conferring knighthood; make, or designate as, a knight.

   The king dubbed him a knight.

3. to strike, cut, rub, or make smooth, as leather or timber.

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idioms

1. dub bright, to shave off the outer surface of the planking of (a ship).

dub ² American  

[duhb] / dʌb /

noun

Slang.

1. an awkward, unskillful person.

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dub ³ American  

[duhb] / dʌb /

verb (used with object)

dubbed, dubbing

1. to thrust; poke.

2. Golf. to hit (a ball) poorly; misplay (a shot).

3. to execute poorly.

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verb (used without object)

dubbed, dubbing

1. to thrust; poke.

noun

1. a thrust; poke.

2. a drumbeat.

dub ⁴ American  

[duhb] / dʌb /

verb (used with object)

dubbed, dubbing

1. to furnish (a film or tape) with a new soundtrack, especially one recorded in a different language.

2. to add (music, speech, etc.) to a film or tape recording (often followed byin ).

3. to copy (a tape or disc recording).

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verb (used without object)

dubbed, dubbing

1. to copy program material from one tape recording onto another.

noun

1. the new sounds added to a film or tape.

2. a style of popular music based on reggae and produced by remixing previously recorded music to which audio samples and sound effects are added.

verb phrase

1. dub out to omit or erase (unwanted sound) on a tape or soundtrack.

   to dub out background noise.

dub ⁵ American  

[duhb] / dʌb /

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. a pool of water; puddle.

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dub ¹ British  

/ dʌb /

verb

1. to alter the soundtrack of (an old recording, film, etc)

2. (tr) to substitute for the soundtrack of (a film) a new soundtrack, esp in a different language

3. (tr) to provide (a film or tape) with a soundtrack

4. (tr) to alter (a taped soundtrack) by removing some parts and exaggerating others

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noun

1. films the new sounds added

2. 1. music a style of record production associated with reggae, involving the removal or exaggeration of instrumental parts, extensive use of echo, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dub mix

dub ² British  

/ dʌb /

verb

1. (tr) to invest (a person) with knighthood by the ritual of tapping on the shoulder with a sword

2. (tr) to invest with a title, name, or nickname

3. (tr) to dress (leather) by rubbing

4. angling to dress (a fly)

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noun

1. the sound of a drum

dub ³ British  

/ dʌb /

noun

1. a clumsy or awkward person or player

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verb

1. to bungle (a shot), as in golf

dub ⁴ British  

/ dʌb /

verb

1. informal short for double-bank

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dub ⁵ British  

/ dʌb /

noun

1. dialect a pool of water; puddle

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dub ⁶ British  

/ dʌb /

verb

1. slang (intr; foll by in, up, or out) to contribute to the cost of (something); pay

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Usage

What else does dub mean? Dub has many meanings in English. It can variously mean "to nickname" and "to voice a film in a different language." It can be short for double and the letter W. It can be slang for a marijuana "joint", or $20 worth of drugs. Dub also refers to a popular genre of music derived from reggae.

Other Word Forms

• dubber
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dub¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dubben, late Old English (assumed) dubbian (in phrase dubbade tō ridere “dubbed to knight(hood)”), from Anglo-French dubber, dobber, douber, shortened form of ad(o)uber, equivalent to prefix a- (from Latin ad- “to”) + do(u)ber, from Old Low Franconian (assumed) dubban “to strike, beat,” cognate with Low German dubben; see origin at a- ⁵ ( def. ), dub ³, daube

Origin of dub²

First recorded in 1885–90; of expressive origin, cf. flub, flubdub, dub ³

Origin of dub³

First recorded in 1505–15; apparently same word (with older sense) as dub ¹

Origin of dub⁴

First recorded in 1925–30; short for double

Origin of dub⁵

First recorded in 1490–1500; of obscure origin; perhaps akin to Middle Low German dobbe “pond, puddle”

Explanation

If your brother is obsessive about doing the laundry, then you might dub him the "Scion of the Spin Cycle" or the "Dean of Detergent," meaning you’ve given him a funny nickname that’s inspired by his personal quirks. The verb dub traces back to the French word adober, meaning “equip with armor,” and originally referred to making someone a knight. Dub still carries that meaning, although now it's more likely to describe the giving out of titles of a different kind. Use this word when you give someone a playful nickname or an unofficial title based on some notable characteristic the person has, like dubbing your sister the "Queen of Shoes."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dub dubbed dubbing

Mladic died on Thursday while serving a life sentence in The Hague for war crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian war; his conviction led international media to dub him the "Butcher of Bosnia".

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

While one shows up at gigs and rave nights, the other is a bit more pub than dub.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

In the same year as “Donnie Darko,” Chase lent her voice to the American dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s tender “Spirited Away,” voicing its protagonist Chihiro.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

But the U.K. branch of the polyglot style sometimes called post-rock included Bristol groups such as Movietone and Crescent, who mixed and matched dub rhythms, folk instrumentation, and electronics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

It took a long time, since only three of the Brothers of the White Sword were on hand to dub them.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Often dubbed "Russia's Google", the firm runs the country's most popular search engine, as well as a food-ordering and taxi application used by tens of millions of people across the Russian-speaking world.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The result was a futuristic-looking all-electric concept car dubbed Type 00 that was larger than most EVs on the road.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Students' unions put the number at 450,000, and said the number of high schools blockaded was 1,800 on what the protesters dubbed "Act Three" of their movement.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Identified as “KD1” by a lavender band on her leg, the nonprofit has since dubbed her Kaydee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

The plane dubbed "the black lady of espionage" by the Soviets revved its engines and started on a 3,788-mile arc over the Soviet Union to a secret base in Bodo, Norway.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Gen. Colin Powell and Bob Dylan are among Sparrow’s fans, with Powell dubbing him the “Mount Olympus of Calypso.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

Watching the stop-motion monsters climb over ruined walls to poke at Greece’s elite soldiers, it’s easy to forgive the movie for its less-than-stellar dubbing or borderline nonsensical love story.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

Cars have also been getting wider, with critics dubbing the trend 'carspreading'.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

He repaid the governor’s disdain by dubbing him “Mr. Hair Gel” in his memoir, “The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

DON Quixote was going back home, mainly because of a conversation he and the innkeeper had had before the dubbing ceremony.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Related Words

• designate
• nickname