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

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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”

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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

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

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

Hard Tack became a notorious rogue, inspiring turf writer John Hervey to dub him “the archexponent of recalcitrance.”

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Often dubbed "visible mending" the trend is spreading from hobby crafters and community workshops, even drawing in fast-fashion brands and reaching the designer catwalks this year.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The summit has been reviewing progress since nearly 200 nations pledged in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in a historic moment dubbed the 'Paris agreement for nature'.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

The current lot — dubbed “LAX-it” — will phase out over time, but it was not immediately clear how long that process will take.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

“North Star” is part of one of the many arrangements critics have dubbed “circular financing” as AI companies race to build data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

In temperament, Gaines was the complete opposite of his predecessor, for just as John Wilkins had been dubbed Darth Vader by some of those who worked for him, so Gaines was privately called Luke Skywalker.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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

Davis' attorneys called the narrative "fiction", dubbing the case a product of a flawed-decades-long investigation.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

He’s said bad periods are a feature as much as a bug, dubbing it “time arbitrage.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 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

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Related Words

• designate
• nickname

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