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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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).

---

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.

---

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

---

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)

---

noun

1. the sound of a drum

dub ³ British  

/ dʌb /

noun

1. a clumsy or awkward person or player

---

verb

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

dub ⁴ British  

/ dʌb /

verb

1. informal short for double-bank

---

dub ⁵ British  

/ dʌb /

noun

1. dialect a pool of water; puddle

---

dub ⁶ British  

/ dʌb /

verb

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

---

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

Since then, Huawei has increasingly turned to alternative designs, advanced packaging and networking technology to squeeze computing power from older machinery—a practice industry insiders dub “diaohua,” or fine-carving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

It’s partly what led the New York Times in 2011 to dub him “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of his generation.”

From Salon ● May 15, 2026

I dub him Salmon—my son’s favorite maki—and create a fake birthday.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

He would just as soon have remained kicked out of the officers’ dub, had it not been for the pleasure he was now finding there with his new companions.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

His vision is for the electric-vehicle maker, dubbed “China’s Tesla,” to evolve into a physical AI company, expanding from smart cars into robotaxis and humanoid robots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

On Monday, the Information reported that Google is exploring a new chip, dubbed “Frozen v2,” to run its Gemini models more efficiently.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Anduril showcased the defense variant, dubbed Thunder, on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow outside of London on Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The social media-savvy veteran politician, dubbed the "King of the North", has put devolving power to regions outside London at the top of his agenda.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Tyrion had wanted desperately to go with them, but his lord father had dubbed the voyage a “fool’s quest,” and forbidden him to take part.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

The White House reshared the images on its own X account, dubbing the new document a "patriot passport".

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 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

We have since become a far more cultivated arts capital preparing for what we are dubbing the LA28 Cultural Olympiad.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

Branding was a big part of the event, with Pakistan dubbing the process the "Islamabad Talks", and plastering a logo combining the Pakistani, US and Iranian flags all over the city.

From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026

Baba burst out in gales of his deep- throated laughter—a sound not unlike a truck engine revving up—and, when he could talk again, explained to us the concept of voice dubbing.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• designate
• nickname