ˈdabəl verb
( dabbled ; dabbled ; dabbling -b(ə)liŋ ; dabbles )
Etymology: perhaps freq. of dab (III)
transitive verb
: to wet by splashing or by little dips or strokes : spatter , splash , sprinkle
boots dabbled with mud
the moon hung over the harbor dabbling the waves with gold — Katherine Mansfield
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to paddle, splash, or play in or as if in water
dabble with his fingers in the sand — W.F.Davis
b. of a duck : to tilt the body forward and downward in shallow water to obtain food from the bottom
2. : to work or concern oneself in a superficial way or intermittently according to whim — usually used with in
dabble in politics
eternally dabbling in diets — Lois Long
3. archaic : tamper , meddle