Meaning & use

dabble

verb·Academic

To engage in an activity casually or occasionally, without serious commitment or skill.

See it in a sentence

He dabbles in painting on weekends but has never sold a single piece.

She dabbled in several majors before finally settling on economics.

A note on using this word

Dabble usually takes 'in', as in 'dabble in photography', and implies a lack of deep expertise or seriousness.

Words with a similar meaning

tinkertoy with

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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