dab

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

OXFORD DICTIONARY

dab, v. & n.
--v. (dabbed, dabbing)
1 tr. press (a surface) briefly with a cloth, sponge, etc., without rubbing, esp. in cleaning or to apply a substance.
2 tr. press (a sponge etc.) lightly on a surface.
3 tr. (foll. by on) apply (a substance) by dabbing a surface.
4 intr. (usu. foll. by at) aim a feeble blow; tap.
5 tr. strike lightly; tap.
--n.
1 a brief application of a cloth, sponge, etc., to a surface without rubbing.
2 a small amount of something applied in this way (a dab of paint).
3 a light blow or tap.
4 (in pl.) Brit. sl. fingerprints.

Derivative

dabber n.

dab, n. any flat-fish of the genus Limanda.

dab, adj. esp. Brit. colloq.

Idiom

dab hand (usu. foll. by at) a person especially skilled (in) (a dab hand at cooking).

Etymology

17th c.: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

dab

ace, adept, apply paint, atom, authority, beak, bedaub, bedizen, begild, besmear, bit, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blur, brand, brush, brush on paint, bunt, butter, calcimine, chuck, coat, color, complexion, cover, dabster, dash, daub, deep-dye, dip, distemper, dole, dollop, dot, double-dye, drag, dram, dress, dribble, driblet, drop, dub, dwarf, dye, emblazon, enamel, engild, equalize, even, eyesore, face, farthing, fast-dye, fillip, flatten, fleck, flick, flip, flirt, flyspeck, fragment, fresco, gild, glaze, gloss, gobbet, grade, grain, granule, graze, grease, groat, hair, handful, harrow, hint, hue, illuminate, imbue, ingrain, iota, japan, jot, lacquer, lay, lay on, lay on color, level, little, little bit, lubricate, macula, maculation, macule, mark, master, minim, minimum, minutiae, mite, modicum, molecule, mote, mow, nutshell, oil, ounce, paint, parget, particle, pat, patch, pebble, peck, pick, pigment, pinch, pittance, plane, planish, plaster, point, poke, prime, professional, proficient, rap, scruple, shade, shadow, shave, shellac, slap on, slather, slop on paint, smarm, smear, smear on, smidgen, smidgin, smirch, smitch, smooth, smooth down, smooth out, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, snap, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spoonful, spot, spread on, spread with, stain, stigma, stipple, suggestion, taint, tamp, tap, tar, tarnish, thimbleful, tickle, tinct, tincture, tinge, tint, tiny bit, tip, tittle, tone, touch, trace, trifling amount, trivia, undercoat, varnish, wash, whisk, whit, whitewash, whiz, wizard

ROGET THESAURUS

dab

Smallness

N smallness, littleness, tenuity, paucity, fewness, meanness, insignificance (unimportance), mediocrity, moderation, small quantity, modicum, trace, hint, minimum, vanishing point, material point, atom, particle, molecule, corpuscle, point, speck, dot, mote, jot, iota, ace, minutiae, details, look, thought, idea, soupcon, dab, dight, whit, tittle, shade, shadow, spark, scintilla, gleam, touch, cast, grain, scruple, granule, globule, minim, sup, sip, sop, spice, drop, droplet, sprinkling, dash, morceau, screed, smack, tinge, tincture, inch, patch, scantling, tatter, cantlet, flitter, gobbet, mite, bit, morsel, crumb, seed, fritter, shive, snip, snippet, snick, snack, snatch, slip, scrag, chip, chipping, shiver, sliver, driblet, clipping, paring, shaving, hair, nutshell, thimbleful, spoonful, handful, capful, mouthful, fragment, fraction, drop in the ocean, animalcule, trifle, mere nothing, next to nothing, hardly anything, just enough to swear by, the shadow of a shade, finiteness, finite quantity, small, little, diminutive, minute, fine, inconsiderable, paltry, faint, slender, light, slight, scanty, scant, limited, meager, sparing, few, low, so-so, middling, tolerable, no great shakes, below par, under par, below the mark, at a low ebb, halfway, moderate, modest, tender, subtle, inappreciable, evanescent, infinitesimal, homeopathic, very small, atomic, corpuscular, microscopic, molecular, subatomic, mere, simple, sheer, stark, bare, near run, dull, petty, shallow, stolid, ungifted, unintelligent, to a small extent, on a small scale, a little bit, a wee bit, slightly, imperceptibly, miserably, wretchedly, insufficiently, imperfectly, faintly, passably, pretty well, well enough, partially, in part, in a certain degree, to a certain degree, to a certain extent, comparatively, some, rather in some degree, in some measure, something, somewhat, simply, only, purely, merely, at least, at the least, at most, at the most, ever so little, as little as may be, tant soit peu, in ever so small a degree, thus far, pro tanto, within bounds, in a manner, after a fashion, so to speak, almost, nearly, well-nigh, short of, not quite, all but, near upon, close upon, peu s'en faut, near the mark, within an ace of, within an inch of, on the brink of, scarcely, hardly, barely, only just, no more than, about, thereabouts, somewhere about, nearly, say, be the same, be little more or less, no ways, no way, no wise, not at all, not in the least, not a bit, not a bit of it, not a whit, not a jot, not a shadow, in no wise, in no respect, by no means, by no manner of means, on no account, at no hand, dare pondus idonea fumo, magno conatu magnas nugas, small sands the mountain, moments make the year.

Proficient

N proficient, expert, adept, dab, dabster, crackerjack, connoisseur, master, master hand, prima donna, first fiddle, top gun, chef de cuisine, top sawyer, protagonist, past master, mahatma, picked man, medallist, prizeman, veteran, old stager, old campaigner, old soldier, old file, old hand, man of business, man of the world, nice hand, good hand, clean hand, practiced hand, experienced eye, experienced hand, marksman, good shot, dead shot, crack shot, ropedancer, funambulist, acrobat, cunning man, conjuror, wizard, genius, mastermind, master head, master spirit, cunning blade, sharp blade, sharp fellow, jobber, cracksman, politician, tactician, strategist, pantologist, admirable Crichton, Jack of all trades, prodigy of learning.

Covering

VB cover, superpose, superimpose, overlay, overspread, wrap, encase, incase, face, case, veneer, pave, paper, tip, cap, bind, bulkhead, bulkhead in, clapboard, coat, paint, varnish, pay, incrust, stucco, dab, plaster, tar, wash, besmear, bedaub, anoint, do over, gild, plate, japan, lacquer, lacker, enamel, whitewash, parget, lay it on thick, overlie, overarch, endome, conceal, anodize, galvanize.

Impulse

N impulse, sudden thought, impromptu, improvisation, inspiration, flash, spurt, improvisatore, creature of impulse, extemporaneous, impulsive, indeliberate, snap, improvised, improvisate, improvisatory, unpremeditated, unmeditated, improvise, unprompted, unguided, natural, unguarded, spontaneous, instinctive, extempore, extemporaneously, offhand, impromptu, a limproviste, improviso, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, impulse, impulsion, impetus, momentum, push, pulsion, thrust, shove, jog, jolt, brunt, booming, boost, throw, explosion, propulsion, percussion, concussion, collision, occursion, clash, encounter, cannon, carambole, appulse, shock, crash, bump, impact, elan, charge, beating, blow, dint, stroke, knock, tap, rap, slap, smack, pat, dab, fillip, slam, bang, hit, whack, thwack, cuff, squash, dowse, swap, whap, punch, thump, pelt, kick, punce, calcitration, ruade, arietation, cut, thrust, lunge, yerk, carom, carrom, clip, jab, plug, sidewinder, sidewipe, sideswipe, hammer, sledge hammer, mall, maul, mallet, flail, ram, rammer, battering ram, monkey, pile-driving engine, punch, bat, cant hook, cudgel, ax, dynamics, seismometer, accelerometer, earthquake detector, impelling, impulsive, impellent, booming, dynamic, dynamical, impelled, a hit, a very palpable hit.

VB flash on the mind, say what comes uppermost, improvise, extemporize, give an impetus, impel, push, start, give a start to, set going, drive, urge, boom, thrust, prod, foin, cant, elbow, shoulder, jostle, justle, hustle, hurtle, shove, jog, jolt, encounter, run against, bump against, butt against, knock one's head against, run one's head against, impinge, boost, bunt, carom, clip y, fan, fan out, jab, plug, strike, knock, hit, tap, rap, slap, flap, dab, pat, thump, beat, blow, bang, slam, dash, punch, thwack, whack, hit hard, strike hard, swap, batter, dowse, baste, pelt, patter, buffet, belabor, fetch one a blow, poke at, pink, lunge, yerk, kick, calcitrate, butt, strike at, whip, come into a collision, enter into collision, collide, sideswipe, foul, fall foul of, run foul of, telescope, throw.