Meaning & use
dibber
Last updated
UK/ˈdɪbə/
US/ˈdɪbər/
Meaning
nouncountable
A short pointed hand tool used to make small holes in soil for planting seeds, bulbs or seedlings.
Grammar: Countable: a dibber, two dibbers.
Patterns
- use a dibber
- make a hole with a dibber
She pressed the dibber into the soil to make holes for the onion sets.
My grandfather carved his own wooden dibber from an old spade handle.
A dibber helps you space seedlings evenly in the vegetable bed.
Word forms
| plural | dibbers |
|---|
Common combinations
- wooden dibber
- He kept a wooden dibber in his shed.
- use a dibber
- Use a dibber to make deep holes for leeks.
- make holes with a dibber
- Make holes with a dibber about six inches apart.
- a metal dibber
- A metal dibber lasts longer than a wooden one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dibble
- Dibble is an alternative name for the same tool and is more common in American English.
- trowel
- A trowel is a small scoop for digging, while a dibber is a pointed tool that only makes holes.
- planting stick
- Planting stick is a plain descriptive name, whereas dibber is the established gardening term.
Word family
- dibble verb
- to make holes in soil or to plant with a pointed tool
- dibbling noun
- the action of planting with a dibber
Commonly confused: dibber or dabber?
dibber vs dabber
A dabber is a bingo marker pen or a printing pad. A dibber is a gardening tool.
Practice
What would you most likely do with a dibber?
Choose one answer.
A dibber is a pointed tool for making planting holes. Hedge cutting, watering and spreading fertilizer need other tools.
Make it your own
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