Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid.
- intransitive verb To splash liquid gently and playfully.
- intransitive verb To undertake something superficially or without serious intent.
- intransitive verb To feed by moving the bill back and forth just below the surface or on the bottom in shallow water. Used of ducks.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To dip a little and often; hence, to wet; moisten; spatter; sprinkle.
- To play in water, as with the hands; splash or play, as in water.
- To do anything in a slight or superficial manner; touch or try here and there; dip into anything: with in: as, to
dabble in railway shares; to dabble in literature. - To tamper; meddle.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To play in water, as with the hands; to paddle or splash in mud or water.
- intransitive verb To work in slight or superficial manner; to do in a small way; to tamper; to meddle.
- transitive verb To wet by little dips or strokes; to spatter; to sprinkle; to moisten; to wet.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
partially wet (something) bysplashing ordipping ; connotesplayfulness . - verb intransitive To
participate or have an interest in, but not so seriously.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb work with in an amateurish manner
- verb bob forward and under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water
- verb dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid
- verb play in or as if in water, as of small children
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The previous Transporter films have had Martin dabble with romance before (once with Asian actress Shu Qi and a brief flirtation in the last film with Amber Valetta).
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Perhaps she needed to "dabble" a bit in order to find her way, and ultimately, her choice of faith needs to be respected.
Wes Isley: Christine O'Donnell, Witchcraft and the Importance of Religious Dabbling 2010
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Perhaps the question should be: Does the word "dabble" bother you when referencing part of your spiritual quest, even if it was only short-lived?
Wes Isley: Christine O'Donnell, Witchcraft and the Importance of Religious Dabbling 2010
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Perhaps she needed to "dabble" a bit in order to find her way.
Wes Isley: Christine O'Donnell, Witchcraft and the Importance of Religious Dabbling 2010
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Perhaps she needed to "dabble" a bit in order to find her way, and ultimately, her choice of faith needs to be respected.
Wes Isley: Christine O'Donnell, Witchcraft and the Importance of Religious Dabbling 2010
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Perhaps the question should be: Does the word "dabble" bother you when referencing part of your spiritual quest, even if it was only short-lived?
Wes Isley: Christine O'Donnell, Witchcraft and the Importance of Religious Dabbling 2010
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For the record, I don't exactly dare to "dabble" in the coloured nail polish section.
rouflaquette Diary Entry rouflaquette 2006
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COLEMAN: Yeah, English and Spanish fluently, and I kind of dabble in a couple of other languages.
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Many of the insanities start in this fashion; and all such practices, instead of being encouraged, should be discouraged; and all experienced and intelligent students of psychical research warn those who "dabble" in the subject against the repeated and promiscuous indulgence in such practices -- because of the dangerous, even disastrous, effects upon the mind, in many instances.
The Problems of Psychical Research Experiments and Theories in the Realm of the Supernormal Hereward Carrington 1919
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• You truly comprehend the ins and outs of jQuery and don't just "dabble" in it.
strev commented on the word dabble
I like to dabble in solids.
June 14, 2009
Jubjub commented on the word dabble
Anyone notice that American Heritage half-asses their etymologies? It's like a task they really don't want to do.
December 20, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word dabble
Have you read the American Heritage Dictionary's Word History for butterfly? It's pretty funny--it begins with this question: "Is a butterfly named for the color of its excrement or because it was thought to steal butter?"
December 20, 2009
grantbarrett commented on the word dabble
How do you mean "half-assed"? In my opinion, AHD etymologies are some of the best in the business, given that many have been done from scratch, they tend to include the Indo-European root, and they balance informativeness and conciseness in consideration for the limited space on the printed page.
December 20, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word dabble
Yes, yes, a balance of informative and concise... but what I find endearing is that they can also be funny in a knowing and slightly naughty way.
December 20, 2009
Jubjub commented on the word dabble
Hmm... I'm sorry. Not sure what I was thinking-- there was supposed to be a pun in there, which, now, totally escapes me. I guess my comment was a prime example of halfassed dumbassery.
December 20, 2009