dabble

[dab-uhl]

verb (used without object)

dabbled, dabbling 

1. to play and splash in or as if in water, especially with the hands.

2. to work at anything in an irregular or superficial manner.

   to dabble in literature.

   Synonyms: dally, toy, fiddle, putter

3. (of a duck) to feed on shallow-water vegetation with rapid, splashing movements of the bill.

verb (used with object)

dabbled, dabbling 

1. to wet slightly in or with a liquid; splash; spatter.

2. Chiefly South Midland U.S.,  to wash or rinse off lightly.

dabble

/ ˈdæbəl /

verb

1. to dip, move, or splash (the fingers, feet, etc) in a liquid

2. (intr; usually foll by in, with, or at) to deal (with) or work (at) frivolously or superficially; play (at)

3. (tr) to daub, mottle, splash, or smear

   his face was dabbled with paint

Other Word Forms

• dabbler noun
• dabblingly adverb
• undabbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dabble¹

1550–60; probably dab ¹ + -le; compare Dutch dabbelen, dabben

Word History and Origins

Origin of dabble¹

C16: probably from Dutch dabbelen; see _dab ¹

Example Sentences

It's hard to estimate just how many Australians now dabble in this kind of ideology, but experts say it could be up to tens of thousands.

From BBC

In Tamil Nadu, where many of his film peers have entered politics, Rajinikanth dabbled in the arena but has never launched a party or contested elections.

From BBC

Leading up to the 2022 Olympics, Chen dabbled with a quadruple axel during practice, but stopped training it as the Games approached.

From Los Angeles Times

I don’t think he dabbles in filler the way other artists do.

From Los Angeles Times

The musicians metamorphosed into their final form: Adopting the name Black Sabbath, after a low-budget Boris Karloff film of the same name, they started writing lyrics that dabbled in death, black magic and mental illness.

From BBC