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dribble

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: dribblé

English

Etymology

From drib +‎ -le (frequentative suffix).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɹɪ.bəl/, /dɹɪ.bl̩/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɹɪ.bɫ̩/, /ˈdɹɪ.b(ə)l/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪbəl

Verb

dribble (third-person singular simple present dribbles, present participle dribbling, simple past and past participle dribbled)

  1. (basketball, soccer) In various ball games, to move (with) the ball, controlling its path by kicking or bouncing it repeatedly.
  3. To let saliva drip from the mouth; to drool.
    The baby dribbled onto its bib.
  4. To fall in drops or an unsteady stream; to trickle.
  5. (intransitive) To move or roll slowly.
    • 1952, Charles Coombs, Young Readers Sports Treasury‎, page 14:
      Denny slid over a couple of steps and swung feebly at it. The ball hit the wooden frame of his racket and dribbled into the net.
    • 1991, David Halecroft, Wild Pitch‎, →ISBN, page 56:
      Derrick's hand passed along the plate while the catcher flipped and fell on his back in a huge cloud of dust. The ball went dribbling toward the backstop.
    • 2017, Scott Murray, The Title: The Story of the First Division‎, →ISBN, page 138:
      After two minutes and 25 seconds, he scored with a pea-roller that totally foxed Stoke keeper Dennis Herod and dribbled in off a post.
  6. (transitive) To let something fall in drips.
    • 1731 (date written; published 1745), [Jonathan] Swift, Directions to Servants […], London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], and M. Cooper, […], →OCLC:
      let her [the cook] follow him softly with a ladle full, and dribble it all the way up stairs to the dining-room
  7. (dated) To live or pass one's time in a trivial fashion.
  8. To perform a card flourish in which the cards fall smoothly from one's hand.

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Noun

dribble (countable and uncountable, plural dribbles)

  1. (uncountable) Drool; saliva.
  2. (uncountable, colloquial) Rubbish; worthless matter.
    • 2006, Mary Carter, chapter 27, in She’ll Take It, New York, N.Y.: Kensington Books, →ISBN, page 231:
      Your pieces are amateur at best—at worst they are a commercial hoax—something you’d find at Kmart for the kids to take back to their dorms. Frankly, I’m shocked you would waste my time with this dribble. You are no artist, my dear.
    • 2007, Paul F. F. Hood with Carra Leah Hood, chapter 15, in Tomorrow, Soldier, part 3 (Himmler’s Gas Station), Bloomington, Ind.; Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 244:
      “Are these mangers also called ‘Labor Camps’? Those baby production lines Hitler set up to produce a race of pure bloods.” / “No,” said Ute, openly irritated at the remark. She looked over at Captain Browder, saying with her eyes, “Do we have to keep on with this dribble?” / Browder broke in, “Trank, let’s cut out this insignificant ramble. Let’s go straight to the subject of mangers where girls can give birth in secret.”
    • 2016, William McChesney, “Back to the War”, in Retribution: They Must All Die, New York, N.Y.: Page Publishing, →ISBN:
      I’ve returned everything that I borrowed and then some, but it never sat well with her father and he disowned her right along with me. Michael, did you know that I’m low life scum? Well, that’s what he called me the last time we were together. I apologize, I should never have bothered you with this dribble.
  3. (countable) A weak, unsteady stream; a trickle.
  4. (countable) A small amount of a liquid.
  5. (countable, sports) The act of moving (with) a ball by kicking or bouncing it.
  6. (countable) A card flourish in which the cards fall smoothly from one's hand.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from English dribble.

Pronunciation

Noun

dribble m (plural dribbles)

  1. (sports) dribble

Verb

dribble

  1. inflection of dribbler:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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German

Pronunciation

Verb

dribble

  1. inflection of dribbeln:
    1. first-person singular present
    2. singular imperative
    3. first/third-person singular subjunctive I

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