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.

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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

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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

In a recent game at Golden State, her dribble behind the back to create space for a 3-pointer left a Valkyries player staggering backward and grabbing her ankles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Madueke had five touches in the opposition box, completed his only dribble of the game and won the penalty to set England on their way.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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

"All anyone needs to play basketball is a ball and a hoop, a surface that you can dribble on, and New York City has an awful lot of that kind of space," she said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

He brought the ball in, took a dribble with his right hand, pulled up and brought his left hand toward the ball for the jumper.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Williams completed 43.8% of his 153 dribbles last season, scored six goals and registered three assists in a campaign that was disrupted by injury.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

For Bayern last season, he averaged almost double the number of touches per game, created twice as many chances per 90 and averaged two dribbles each match as opposed to one in Haaland's case.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

At this World Cup, the Frenchman has attempted 14 dribbles across the first two matches, compared with just one from Haaland.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

I’m ready the next time the guy dribbles my way.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

"When I was small I never dribbled much or got past many opponents. I scored a lot of goals, ran a lot, but above all I had very good vision of the game," he said.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Leverkusen were not happy with the penalty award as Malik Tillman's torso seemed to make contact with Madueke's foot as he dribbled into the box.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026

Sierra Canyon’s Delaney White received the ensuing inbounds pass, dribbled into the frontcourt, pulled up behind the three-point line and launched a potential tying jumper, but it hit the rim and bounced off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026

Funds dribbled in, but social workers no longer came to check on the children; health workers and building inspectors no longer came to inspect the building.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

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

The Barcelona forward's excellent ball control and dribbling skills clearly unsettles defences and pulled the Austrian defenders towards him to create more space for Oyarzabal.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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

As he talked, the crumbs came dribbling out of the corner of his loose mouth.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Related Words

• drizzle
• ooze
• squirt