dribble

C2 Topic:Verbs of Movement

US /ˈdɹɪ.bɫ̩/ UK /ˈdɹɪ.bəl/ See IPA manual

verb noun Freq #22308

Meanings

1

verb
To let a liquid fall slowly in small drops.

She dribbled a little olive oil into the mixture.
2

verb
To let saliva drip from the mouth.

The sleeping baby dribbled onto its bib.
3

verb
To move a ball forward with repeated small kicks or taps.

He dribbled the ball past two defenders and scored.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to let a liquid fall slowly... drop

2 verb · to let saliva drip from the... drool slobber

Word family

Forms dribbleddribblesdribbling

Derived forms bedribbledribblesomedrippleoverdribble

Related forms dribbly

Etymology

From drib + -le (frequentative suffix).

Topics

Verbs of Movement

# dribble

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈdɹɪ.bɫ̩
**IPA (UK):** ˈdɹɪ.bəl
**Frequency rank:** 22308

## Meanings
1. To let a liquid fall slowly in small drops.
2. To let saliva drip from the mouth.
3. To move a ball forward with repeated small kicks or taps.

## Examples
- She dribbled a little olive oil into the mixture.
- The sleeping baby dribbled onto its bib.
- He dribbled the ball past two defenders and scored.

## Derived Forms
- bedribble
- dribblesome
- dripple
- overdribble

## Related Forms
- dribbly

## Etymology
From drib + -le (frequentative suffix).

## AI Etymology
Dribble is from drib + -le (frequentative suffix). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include to let a liquid fall slowly in small drops, to let saliva drip from the mouth, and to move a ball forward with repeated small kicks or taps. The wider family includes derived forms such as bedribble, dribblesome, dripple, and overdribble and related words such as dribbly.

## Topics
- Verbs of Movement

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dribble

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