Dab — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a light touch or stroke

a small quantity of something moist or liquid

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɪmˈɪɾiz/

🇬🇧British English

/dˈab/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dˈab/

1 syllable Say it as /dɪmˈɪɾiz/.

Examples

a dab of paint
a splatter of mud
just a splash of whiskey

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

tap swab splash swob pat splatter

Parts of Speech

noun	a light touch or stroke
noun	a small quantity of something moist or liquid “a dab of paint”
verb	apply (usually a liquid) to a surface “dab the wall with paint”
verb	hit lightly “pat him on the shoulder”

Word Forms

tap	verb	make light, repeated taps on a surface
pat	verb	hit lightly
dab	verb	apply (usually a liquid) to a surface
splash	verb	mark or overlay with patches of contrasting color or texture; cause to appear splashed or spattered
splatter	verb	dash a liquid upon or against
dab	noun	a light touch or stroke
swab	noun	implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion
pat	noun	the sound made by a gentle blow

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

tupfen

eine leichte Berührung oder ein Streicheln

🇫🇷French

touche

un léger contact ou un coup

🇪🇸Spanish

lenguado

un ligero toque o caricia

🇮🇹Italian

tamponare

un tocco leggero o una carezza

🇳🇱Dutch

schar

een lichte aanraking of beroerte

🇵🇹Portuguese

salpicar

um leve toque ou golpe

🇷🇺Russian

мазать

легкое прикосновение или поглаживание

India

🇮🇳Hindi

डी ए बी

हल्का स्पर्श या आघात

🇧🇩Bengali

ড্যাব

একটি হালকা স্পর্শ বা স্ট্রোক

🇮🇳Tamil

டப்

லேசான தொடுதல் அல்லது பக்கவாதம்

🇮🇳Telugu

డబ్

తేలికపాటి స్పర్శ లేదా స్ట్రోక్

🇮🇳Marathi

डब

हलका स्पर्श किंवा स्ट्रोक

🇮🇳Gujarati

ચોપડવું

હળવો સ્પર્શ અથવા સ્ટ્રોક

🇮🇳Kannada

ಡಬ್

ಲಘು ಸ್ಪರ್ಶ ಅಥವಾ ಪಾರ್ಶ್ವವಾಯು

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഡാബ്

ഒരു നേരിയ സ്പർശനം അല്ലെങ്കിൽ സ്ട്രോക്ക്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਡੈਬ

ਇੱਕ ਹਲਕਾ ਛੋਹ ਜਾਂ ਸਟਰੋਕ

🇵🇰Urdu

ڈب

ہلکا ٹچ یا اسٹروک

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

轻拍

轻触或抚摸

🇯🇵Japanese

軽くたたく

軽いタッチやストローク

🇰🇷Korean

소량

가벼운 접촉이나 뇌졸중

🇻🇳Vietnamese

thoa

một cú chạm nhẹ hoặc vuốt ve

🇹🇭Thai

ตบเบา ๆ

สัมผัสหรือจังหวะเบา ๆ

🇮🇩Indonesian

colek

sentuhan atau pukulan ringan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ربت

لمسة خفيفة أو السكتة الدماغية

🇮🇷Persian

ضربه زدن

لمس سبک یا سکته مغزی

🇹🇷Turkish

kurulamak

hafif bir dokunuş veya vuruş

🇮🇱Hebrew

טְפִיחָה

מגע קל או מכה קלה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'dab'?

The primary meaning of 'dab' is 'a light touch or stroke'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'dab' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'dab' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'dab' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'dab' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'dab' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Never

Do you find 'dab' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'dab' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'dab' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'dab' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'dab' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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