Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

dab

[dab] / dæb /
NOUN
small quantity
Synonyms
STRONGEST
blob dollop fleck speck
STRONG
bit drop flick pat peck smidgen smudge spot stroke tap touch
Antonyms
STRONG
lot
WEAK
glob mass
VERB
blot up; touch lightly
Synonyms
STRONGEST
daub smear smudge swab wipe
STRONG
bedaub besmear pat peck plaster stipple tap

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.

"The chimpanzees dab them on their wounds or chew the plants up, and then apply the chewed material to the open injury."

From BBC • May 14, 2025

Everyone’s favorite analog diarist is smack dab in the middle of a universe ruled by tech.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025

For years, as an early-warning alert system, the county agricultural people had been hanging Medfly traps hither and thither among our pretty, fructiferous trees — little A-frame-shaped cardboard doohickeys with a dab of fly attractant.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

Mencken, who was a dab hand at writing with great verve about how much he hated just about everything.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2024

Then he has the audacity to use my grandmother’s dashiki to dab his mouth before collapsing in bliss.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Vocabulary lists containing dab

Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 3)

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!