dabble

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To make slightly wet or soiled by spattering or sprinkling a liquid (such as water, mud, or paint) on it; to bedabble.
2. (transitive) To cause splashing by moving a body part like a bill or limb in soft mud, water, etc., often playfully; to play in shallow water; to paddle.
3. (intransitive) To feed without diving, by submerging the head and neck underwater to seek food, often also tipping up the tail straight upwards above the water.
4. (figuratively, intransitive) To participate or have an interest in an activity in a casual or superficial way.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To interfere or meddle in; to tamper with.

Noun

1. A spattering or sprinkling of a liquid.
2. An act of splashing in soft mud, water, etc.
3. An act of participation in an activity in a casual or superficial way.

Synonyms

splash

paddle

play around

dab

spray

sprinkle

splash around

dip

meddle

duck

🦆

smatter

plash

moisten

plummet

potter

puddle

smear

sop

souse

sparge

splatter

sprinkling

swash

swatter

tamper

tinker

trifle

wade

water-jet

wet

dabble in

make a pass at

water injection

spray water

baptise

water spraying

baptize

christen

damp

dampen

dive

douse

dunk

fiddle

fool around with

humidify

lap

Translations

rociar

chapotear

sguazzare

dilettarsi

plätschern

panschen

spetteren

barboter

imbrattare

dompelen

liefhebberen

επιψαύω

επαλείφω

τσαλαβουτώ

ανακατεύομαι

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdæb.əl/

Etymology

Cognate with Icelandic: dafla

In summary

From earlier dable, equivalent to dab + -le (frequentative suffix), possibly from Middle Dutch dabbelen (“to pinch; knead; to fumble; to dabble”); cognate with Icelandic dafla (“to dabble”).