dabbled; dabbling
ˈda-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest
dabbles in art
2
a
: to paddle, splash, or play in or as if in water
b
: to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water in order to obtain food
: to wet by splashing or by little dips or strokes : spatter
Examples of dabble in a Sentence
The ducks dabbled in the stream.
She sat by the pool, dabbling her feet in the cool water.
Recent Examples on the Web
Global private security behemoths that dabble in homeless shelters.
—
Calmatters, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
After a year of dabbling, testing, piloting, or otherwise fiddling around with generative AI, companies are now ready to start using it for real.
—Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
All the while, in between acting jobs, Blake dabbled at writing scripts.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2024
Bailey dabbled in bartending while in college, but later focused his career on running group homes, school administration and senior and adult care, before landing at Jewels Caribbean.
—Jessica Rodriguez, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Barron graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2015 and has dabbled in acting, directing and producing.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
After football, Kalen dabbled in real estate and other businesses.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
As a boy, Sinner dabbled in soccer and excelled as a junior skier but chose to focus on tennis.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Google has dabbled with the XL moniker before, using it for larger Pixels in previous years before retiring it in 2020 with the launch of the Pixel 5, which only came in one size.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Calmatters, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
After a year of dabbling, testing, piloting, or otherwise fiddling around with generative AI, companies are now ready to start using it for real.
—Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
All the while, in between acting jobs, Blake dabbled at writing scripts.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2024
Bailey dabbled in bartending while in college, but later focused his career on running group homes, school administration and senior and adult care, before landing at Jewels Caribbean.
—Jessica Rodriguez, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Barron graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2015 and has dabbled in acting, directing and producing.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
After football, Kalen dabbled in real estate and other businesses.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
As a boy, Sinner dabbled in soccer and excelled as a junior skier but chose to focus on tennis.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Google has dabbled with the XL moniker before, using it for larger Pixels in previous years before retiring it in 2020 with the launch of the Pixel 5, which only came in one size.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dabble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to dabble
Dictionary Entries Near dabble
Cite this Entry
“Dabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dabble. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dabble
verb
dab·ble
ˈdab-əl
dabbled; dabbling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to wet by splashing : spatter
2
a
: to paddle or play in or as if in water
b
: to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water to obtain food
ducks dabbled in the pond
3
: to work or concern oneself lightly or without deep involvement
they dabble in poetry
dabbler
noun
-(ə-)lər
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share