dabble
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to wet slightly in or with a liquid; splash; spatter.
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Chiefly South Midland U.S. to wash or rinse off lightly.
verb
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to dip, move, or splash (the fingers, feet, etc) in a liquid
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(intr; usually foll by in, with, or at) to deal (with) or work (at) frivolously or superficially; play (at)
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(tr) to daub, mottle, splash, or smear
his face was dabbled with paint
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dabblesimple
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dabblessimple
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have dabbledperfect
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has dabbledperfect
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am dabblingprogressive
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are dabblingprogressive
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is dabblingprogressive
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have been dabblingperfect progressive
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has been dabblingperfect progressive
Past
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dabbledsimple
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had dabbledperfect
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was dabblingprogressive
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were dabblingprogressive
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had been dabblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dabble
1550–60; probably dab 1 + -le; compare Dutch dabbelen, dabben
Explanation
You dabble when you are a little bit involved in an activity, such as an art form or a hobby. Maybe you only dabble in mystery novels, but you are very knowledgeable about comic books. The word dabble can also often relate to water. It can mean “to splash playfully,” or “to get just a little wet.” A bird can also dabble in water by dipping its bill into it. Each of these meanings of dabble is often followed by the word in. For example, a duck may dabble in the water (and then dribble a few drops afterward from its bill), and you may dabble in shrubbery art.
Vocabulary lists containing dabble
"The Witch Boy" by Molly Knox Ostertag
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The Magician's Nephew
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I Was Their American Dream
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I try to dabble with producing here and there because I have ideas, but it’s the real musicians, the real artists that take the ideas that I might pitch out and create something with it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
There is no shame in Gyllenhaal’s game, and her honest excitement to dabble with references and emotion is refreshing, even when these moments grate.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
But many people also dabble in corporate bonds and real-estate investment trusts, commodities like gold and silver and, more recently, cryptocurrencies.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 30, 2026
But the creativity persisted: Williams learned how to use a camera and edit clips so he could make goofy videos for his family, run photoshoots for his kids and dabble in wedding photography.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
“Lots of people do fortune-telling. I dabble in it myself.”
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
She also dabbles in other technologies, including quantum computing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Panahi dabbles in the road movie, the revenge thriller, even the “getting the band back together” comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
The outlet also noted that he dabbles in other forms of puzzling, as well.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2024
His company rides industry cycles up, down and sideways, and dabbles in woodworking when there’s a lull.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024
Every principal who dabbles in rickety stock without a certain reserve as a security is set down by most men as little better than a swindler.
From Old and New London Volume I by Thornbury, Walter
On the other, he knew that the company had dabbled in off-kilter programming offerings for the past 50 years.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
"I've never followed it religiously, but I dabbled in a little bit of weight training and I tried running, although I didn't like that very much," said Bill.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Some restaurants also dabbled with beverages featuring a generic energy drink base.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Díaz hadn’t fought in MMA since 2022, when he defeated Tony Ferguson, though he had dabbled in boxing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
And he got what he wanted, from an unexpected source: Sir James Jay, a British doctor who lived in London and dabbled in chemistry.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
Some Premier League clubs are dabbling with pricing a selection of seats dynamically to boost revenues.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
He later spent time in Hungary, dabbling in nationalist politics and earning a doctorate degree.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026
And it been dabbling with artificial intelligence to see if it would be useful.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026
The company is dabbling in generative AI with a three-year licensing deal signed with OpenAI in December that will allow fans to create short videos featuring Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
Citing Oppie’s habit of dabbling in politics, the Manhattan Project’s security apparatus, which was not yet entirely under Groves’s control, refused to clear him for war work.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.