DRIBBLES Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

dribbles 1 of 2

noun

plural of dribble

as in specks

a very small piece news about the remote earthquake was coming in dribbles

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dribbles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dribble

as in drips

to fall or let fall in or as if in drops water dribbling over the lip of the fountain

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as in splashes

to flow in a broken irregular stream rainwater dribbling along the partially clogged gutter

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as in drools

to let saliva or some other substance flow from the mouth picnickers dribbling in eager anticipation of the hamburgers on the grill

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dribbles

Noun

Most of his dribbles/ball carrying, which Emery considers key for a wide forward, came from wide areas. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 July 2026 Okot applied that advice by limiting unnecessary dribbles and attacking the basket more efficiently. — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 28 July 2026 Appollis made some slick dribbles to set up a right-footed shot from outside the box. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 June 2026 Messi made several dribbles at the backpedaling Algerian defenders before using his left foot to curve a sweeping shot past goalkeeper Luca Zidane for the first goal of the match. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026

Verb

When Grealish dribbles past right-back Mats Wieffer, Everton’s centre-forward moves inside, grabbing De Cuyper’s attention, which is enough for Ndiaye to attack the back post and score from his team-mate’s cross. — Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Fourteen-year-old Karam dribbles a blue, yellow and white football down a sandy path in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 5 July 2026 Antonio Nusa dribbles into the box, gets a defender on his heels, and sends in a shot just over the outstretched arms of the Ivory Coast goalkeeper to open our scoring. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026 The most exciting player might be Michael Olise, who dribbles and passes with playground flair. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 Meleek Thomas #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks dribbles the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026 in San Jose, California. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 24 June 2026 Adam Sandler dribbles the ball during a casual pickup game in New York City on June 16. — People Staff, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026 The next trip down the floor, Robinson sets a hard screen at the top of the key for Jalen Brunson, who dribbles into a pull-up three to put the Knicks up 17. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026 Donaldson dribbles the ball and launches it at the hoop. — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dribbles

Noun

Calcium shows up as bright white specks on the coronary artery images.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Pulse a few times, until crumbs range in size from specks to peas.

— Leah Eskin, Midwest Living, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of specks

Verb

Omnivores should punch up the platter with the special beef kitfo, raw steak that drips with herbed, purified butter and gets its fiery kick from mitmita, a spice blend with chile peppers.

— Warren Rojas, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
Massage tools now sit alongside health trackers and IV drips as one of the discretionary categories where younger consumers are outspending everyone else.

— Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of drips

Verb

Across the street, the Llano River splashes its way over limestone formations and into reed thickets.

— Pam LeBlanc, Southern Living, 20 July 2026
Harry Kane splashes his face with ice water during a hydration break for a FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match on July 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida.

— Laura Schifter, Time, 17 July 2026

Definition of splashes

Verb

The verifier performs some calculations on the outputs of the original AI model, and spits out a high certainty score that this model is GPT-OSS-120B, which is exactly correct.

— Billy Perrigo, Time, 17 Aug. 2026
That shift matters because judgment, not technical execution, is becoming what separates a good analyst from a tool that just spits out answers.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of spits

Noun

The track, which blends smooth R&B vocals with contemporary pop production, came almost a decade after bits of the song first leaked on social media.

— Caché McClay, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Lechter selected the best bits and organized them into six lessons spread over 10 chapters.

— Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of bits

Verb

Rather than funding a single program, the donation from the Dimons flows into permanent endowments, which UNCF argues gives schools the freedom to plan for decades instead of scrambling to find donations year to year.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
This force flows from a populational logic that uses statistics and algorithms to distribute the state’s violence work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of flows

Verb

On the traditional-spa side, a JetPeel facial using Augustinus Bader products essentially pressure-washes my skin with nutrient-rich serums.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Continue reading … CREATOR'S REMORSE — TV legend Oprah washes her hands of any association with Dr Phil or Dr Oz.

— , FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of washes

Noun

The soup itself has an almost lemon curd-like acidity and sweetness, and it’s laced with flecks of fresh corn and tiny diced pieces of zucchini.

— Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Amid his vast responsibilities running all the departments in the Giants’ front office, Zaidi still found the time to pore over MLB Draft League statistics and look for flecks of gold.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of flecks

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“Dribbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dribbles. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dribbles

noun

verb

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