🤏 To touch lightly 🤏 A light touch 🧈 A small amount 🕺 A dance move 🕺 To dance 💨 To inhale concentrate

to dab

11 2.8

To touch or apply something lightly and quickly with your hand

verb
/dæb/

: tocar ligeramente

Before applying the moisturizer, she dabs a small amount onto her fingertips.
dab one's eyes
dab away tears
dab with a finger

So I just kind of dab it in.

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Examples

So I'm just going to dab this all over my face.
Worst case, I could dab a little on the corner of my mouth.

Fiction book (2000)
So I just kind of dab it in.

Harper's BAZAAR
Just touch and just kind of dab over what was applied.
So just going to dab that under here.
So start to really dab it into those areas.
So like here if you just dab a little bit on.
Then I go back and dab it with my finger.
I'm just going to dab that over the spot.
And I'm just going to dab that on and set this product in.

Synonyms

to brush

vsto dab

133 1.6

To touch something lightly while passing by

is a quick light contact rather than a sliding pass

to pat

vsto dab

110 1.0

To touch gently to show comfort or approval

is a quick or light touch without emotional purpose

to swab

vsto dab

22 4.0

To clean a surface or put liquid on it using a cotton stick

is a quick light touch usually without a tool or liquid

to dob

vsto dab

9.5

To put a small amount of cream or paint gently onto something

is a quick light touch not limited to adding substances

Compounds

sand dab

1 8.4

A small flat fish like a flounder from the west coast of North America eaten as food

corn dab

8.6

A small oval cake made with cornmeal that is fried or baked

How Firm

press

11 1.3

to pat

110 1.0

to dab

11 2.8

to brush

133 1.6

Surface Forms

dab infinitive

dabbed past

dabbed past participle

dabbing present participle

dabs third person singular

Etymology

Dab. To dab (touch lightly) comes from the simple sense of a quick, gentle touch, so the verb means to touch or apply something softly and quickly.