Synonyms for dab

Most common

hint · dot · speck · smidge · pat · slap · dap

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

Verb

Antonyms

oodles, shitter, doog

All antonyms of dab →

Definitions

1. n. 1

   A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.

2. n. 2

   A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance.

3. n. 3

   A dabbler.

4. v. 1

   To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing.

   Dab the tears from your eyes.

Related words

Phrases

smack-dab dab hand dab bong dab rig

Forms

Plural

dabs → bits, pinches, spots, touches…

Past participle

dabbed
e.g. dabbed → daubed, swabbed…

Example sentences

• hint Tom gets angry at the slightest hint of criticism.
• dot In Lojban, the dot "." is a pause or glottal stop.
• speck There wasn't even a speck of dust on the table.
• smidge Don't leave even a smidge, eat it all up.
• pat The story was too pat and I got rather suspicious.
• slap For Markku Liisa's comment was a slap in the face.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters

bit¹, tap¹, pat¹, dot¹, tit¹, jot¹, dap

4 letters

drop¹, spot¹, blow¹, flip¹, hint¹, dash¹, slap¹, bump¹, spat¹, blob¹, swab¹, daub¹

5 letters

touch¹, trace¹, pinch¹, adept², speck¹, tinge¹, fleck¹

6 letters

expert², stroke¹, splash¹, smidge

7 letters

thought¹, amateur³

8 letters

splatter²

10 letters

proficient³, dilettante

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (adept² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

dab