Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb dabble

4 senses of dabble

Sense 1
dabble -- (dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid)
       => dunk, dip, souse, plunge, douse -- (immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate; "dip the garment into the cleaning solution"; "dip the brush into the paint")

Sense 2
dabble, paddle, splash around -- (play in or as if in water, as of small children)
       => play -- (be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children; "The kids were playing outside all day"; "I used to play with trucks as a little girl")

Sense 3
dabble, smatter, play around -- (work with in an amateurish manner; "She dabbles in astronomy"; "He plays around with investments but he never makes any money")
       => busy, occupy -- (keep busy with; "She busies herself with her butterfly collection")

Sense 4
dabble -- (bob forward and under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water; "dabbling ducks")
       => bob -- (move up and down repeatedly; "her rucksack bobbed gently on her back")