dabble

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: dab=ble

OXFORD DICTIONARY

dabble, v.
1 intr. (usu. foll. by in, at) take a casual or superficial interest or part (in a subject or activity).
2 intr. move the feet, hands, etc. about in (usu. a small amount of) liquid.
3 tr. wet partly or intermittently; moisten, stain, splash.

Derivative

dabbler n.

Etymology

16th c.: f. Du. dabbelen or DAB(1)

THESAURUS

dabble

asperge, be innocent of, bedabble, bedew, beguile the time, bespatter, besprinkle, burn daylight, consume time, coquet, coquet with, dally, damp, dampen, dash, dew, diddle, dip, doodle, douche, fiddle, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fidget with, finger with, flirt, fool, fool around, fool with, footle, fribble, fritter away time, frivol, give up, have no idea, horse around, hose, hose down, humect, humectate, humidify, idle, irrigate, jerk off, kid around, kill time, know a little, know not, know not what, know nothing of, loiter, lose time, mess around, moisten, monkey, monkey around, not know, not rightly know, paddle, pass, pass the time, piddle, play, play around, play with, potter, putter, scratch the surface, slobber, slop, slosh, smatter, sparge, spatter, splash, splatter, splotch, sponge, spot, spray, sprinkle, swash, syringe, tinker, toy, toy with, trifle, trifle with, twiddle, waste time, water, wet, wet down, wonder, wonder whether, wot not of

ROGET THESAURUS

dabble

Uncleanness

VB be unclean, become unclean, rot, putrefy, ferment, fester, rankle, reek, stink, mold, molder, go bad, render unclean, dirt, dirty, daub, blot, blur, smudge, smutch, soil, smoke, tarnish, slaver, spot, smear, smirch, begrease, dabble, drabble, draggle, daggle, spatter, slubber, besmear, bemire, beslime, begrime, befoul, splash, stain, distain, maculate, sully, pollute, defile, debase, contaminate, taint, leaven, corrupt, cover with dust, drabble in the mud, roil, wallow in the mire, slobber, slabber.

Inactivity

VB be inactive, do nothing, move slowly, let the grass grow under one's feet, take one's time, dawdle, drawl, droil, lag, hang back, slouch, loll, lollop, lounge, poke, loaf, loiter, go to sleep over, sleep at one's post, ne battre que d'une aile, take it easy, take things as they come, lead an easy life, vegetate, swim with the stream, eat the bread of idleness, loll in the lap of luxury, loll in the lap of indolence, waste time, consume time, kill time, lose time, burn daylight, waste the precious hours, idle away time, trifle away time, fritter away time, fool away time, spend time in, take time in, peddle, piddle, potter, pudder, dabble, faddle fribble, fiddle-faddle, dally, dilly-dally, sleep, slumber, be asleep, hibernate, oversleep, sleep like a top, sleep like a log, sleep like a dormouse, sleep soundly, heavily, doze, drowze, snooze, nap, take a nap, dream, snore one's best, settle to sleep, go to sleep, go off to sleep, doze off, drop off, fall asleep, drop asleep, close the eyes, seal up the eyes, seal up eyelids, weigh down the eyelids, get sleep, nod, yawn, go to bed, turn, get some z's, stack z's, languish, expend itself, flag, hang fire, relax, render idle, sluggardize, mitigate.

Water

VB be watery, reek, add water, water, wet, moisten, dilute, dip, immerse, merge, immerge, submerge, plunge, souse, duck, drown, soak, steep, macerate, pickle, wash, sprinkle, lave, bathe, affuse, splash, swash, douse, drench, dabble, slop, slobber, irrigate, inundate, deluge, syringe, inject, gargle.