dab out

verb

To dab (to press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing) using paint to produce a desired effect.

Meanings

verbdab out (third-person singular simple present dabs out, present participle dabbing out, simple past and past participle dabbed out)

present singular third person dabs out · participle present dabbing out · participle past dabbed out · past dabbed out

  1. transitiveartTo dab (to press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing) using paint to produce a desired effect.
  2. transitiveTo remove using a dabbing motion.
  3. transitiveTo mark or press numbers with a dauber (marker for bingo cards) or, by extension, with a finger (e.g. on a phone pad).
  4. transitiveTo extinguish a cigarette by pressing the lit end down on something.
  5. intransitiveTo get high using dabs (concentrated hash oil on a heated surface).
Cite this entry
APA

dab out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dab%20out

MLA

“dab out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dab%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dab out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dab%20out.

Source: dab out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.