dabble

To dabble is defined as to splash or dip in water, or to show a superficial interest in some hobby but never get seriously involved.

(verb)

  1. When you dip your feet in a pool briefly and move them around, this is an example of a time when you dabble.
  2. When you make a half-hearted attempt to learn to knit but never finish the first scarf you started, this is an example of a time when you dabble in knitting.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See dabble in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb dabbled, dabbling

  1. to dip lightly in and out of a liquid
  2. to wet by dipping, splashing, or sprinkling

Origin: Du dabbelen, freq. of MDu dabben, to strike, dab

intransitive verb

  1. to play in water, as with the hands
  2. to do something superficially, not seriously: with in or at: to dabble in art

Related Forms:

See dabble in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb dab·bled, dab·bling, dab·bles
verb, transitive
To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid: “The moon hung over the harbor dabbling the waves with gold” (Katherine Mansfield).
verb, intransitive
  1. To splash liquid gently and playfully.
  2. To undertake something superficially or without serious intent: “The restaurant business entails more than . . . dabbling in interior design” (Andy Birsh).
  3. To bob forward and under in shallow water so as to feed off the bottom.

Origin:

Origin: Possibly from Dutch dabbelen

Origin: , frequentative of dabben, to strike, tap

.

Learn more about dabble

link/cite print suggestion box