dab
noun · verb · adverb
Simple meaning
A soft tap or blow.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dabIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdæb
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.
A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance.
One who is skilful or proficient; an expert; an adept.
A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda; a flounder.
verb
Hit lightly
transitive
To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing.
transitive
To apply a substance in this way.
To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
adverb
With a dab, or sudden contact.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.
Used this way, dab is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use dab
- “Dab the wall with paint.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The lean flesh of a small flounder from the Pacific coast of North America.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.