dab
verbEtymology
From Middle English dabben (“to strike”), probably of North Germanic origin, related to Old Icelandic dabba (“to tap, slap”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Compare also with Middle Dutch dabben (“to pinch, knead, fumble, dabble”) (Dutch dabben (“(of a horse) to stamp with the forelegs”)), Dutch deppen (“to dab”), possibly German tappen (“to fumble, grope”). The noun is from Middle English dabbe (“a strike, blow”), from the verb. Related to tap. Compare also drub, dub. African-American sense of “playful box” perhaps influenced by dap (“fistbump”).
Definitions
To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing.
- I dabbed my face with a towel.
- Dab the tears from your eyes.
To apply a substance in this way.
- The nurse will dab some ointment on that gash.
To strike by a thrust
To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
- 1532-1533, Thomas More, The Confutation of Tyndale's Answer to dabbe him in the necke
- Breach hit a line, Zoe Harrison dabbed a kick in behind and Abby Dow chased like fury.
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To apply hash oil to a heated surface for the purpose of efficient combustion.
To perform the dab dance move
To perform the dab dance move; to move both arms, parallel with one's head, to either side of the body.
- Look, my bruddas don't dab, we just vossi bop
Synonym of daub (to mark a bingo card)
A soft tap or blow
A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.
- I promise you nothing,' said the dolls' dressmaker, dabbing two dabs at him with her needle, as if she put out both his eyes.
- Then the minute feet made feeble dabs, or stabs, at the atmosphere; the tiny fists doubled themselves and wandered to and fro as if in search of the enemy.
A soft, playful box given in greeting or approval.
- She gave a few more dabs to his buttocks. “There. By the time you've made love to me those weals will have dried up.”
- The men gave each other dabs and another bear hug.
- I step closer to Profit and draw in a deep, steadying breath while the brothers exchange dabs. “What's up, fam? I see you finally made it.”
A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance.
- a dab of glue
Fingerprint.
- One had Glash's dabs on it and a half-inch of Macallan at the bottom.
A hip hop dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an…
A hip hop dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an arm, briefly resting their face in the elbow, as if sneezing into their elbow.
A dabbler.
With a dab, or sudden contact.
One who is skilful or proficient
One who is skilful or proficient; an expert; an adept.
- for little Urchin as he is, he‘s ſuch a Dab at his Bow and Arrows‘ that ne‘re a Finsbury Archer of ‘em all can pretend to come near him.
- Dab, c. expert exquiſite in Roguery a Rumdab, c. a very Dextrous fellow at fileing , thieving, Cheating, Sharping, sc. Heii a Dab at it, He is well vers'd in it.
- One excels at a plan or the title page, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index.
A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda
A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda; a flounder.
A sand dab, a small flatfish of genus Citharichthys.
Bad.
Initialism of digital audio broadcasting.
Initialism of Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (a pro-Beijing…
Initialism of Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (a pro-Beijing political party in the HKSAR).
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for dab. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA