dribble

dribble — verb

1. to flow or fall as separate tiny droplets or a fine, irregular stream; or to mak

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to flow or fall as separate tiny droplets or a fine, irregular stream; or to make a liquid do this

Example

Water from the burst pipe dribbled slowly down the kitchen wall.

intransitive: liquid flows slowly in drops

Pim dribbled a few drops of lemon juice onto the grilled fish.

dribble + noun + onto — drip liquid on purpose

Common collocations
  • dribble down
  • dribble onto
  • dribble from
  • dribble out of
  • dribble of water
  • dribble of oil
Synonyms
  • drip

    more focused on individual falling drops; can be faster than dribble

  • trickle

    implies a thin, continuous stream rather than separate drops

  • seep

    suggests liquid passing slowly through small holes or porous material

Antonyms
  • pour

    fast, continuous flow from a container

  • gush

    sudden, forceful flow of liquid

Grammar Patterns

dribble + adverb/prepositional phrase

dribble + noun + adverb/prepositional phrase

Usage Note

Often takes an adverb or preposition phrase telling where the liquid goes (down, onto, into, through). The transitive form (dribble + object) is used when a person intentionally lets liquid fall in drops.

Common Mistakes

He dribbled the whole bottle of water onto the plant.
He dribbled a few drops of water onto the plant.
dribble implies a very small, drop-by-drop amount, not a large quantity.

2. when saliva slowly leaks from a person's or animal's mouth, often while sleeping

2.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

when saliva slowly leaks from a person's or animal's mouth, often while sleeping or when unable to swallow properly

Example

The baby dribbled milk down the front of her mother's shirt.

dribble + liquid + down [surface]

Christopher dribbled onto his pillow after a long, tiring day.

Common collocations
  • dribble on
  • dribble down
  • dribble onto
  • dribble milk
  • dribble saliva
Synonyms
  • drool

    more common in informal speech; stronger image of messy saliva

  • slobber

    suggests a larger amount of liquid, usually in a messy way

Grammar Patterns

dribble + adverb/prepositional phrase

Usage Note

In everyday conversation, drool is more frequent than dribble for saliva. Dribble sounds slightly more neutral and is often used with babies or people who cannot control their mouth muscles.

Common Mistakes

The baby dribbled from her mouth.
The baby dribbled milk down her chin.
specify the liquid and where it goes, since dribble already implies the mouth.

3. in sports, to keep a ball close to you as you move forward by giving it short, r

3.verbtransitiveA2
Definition

in sports, to keep a ball close to you as you move forward by giving it short, repeated touches with your foot, hand, or stick

Example

Lakshmi dribbled the ball past two defenders and scored the winning goal.

dribble + ball + past [opponent] + and + [action]

In football, players dribble the ball with the side of their foot.

Common collocations
  • dribble past
  • dribble around
  • dribble down the court
  • dribble the ball
  • dribble with the foot
  • dribble with the hand
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

dribble + noun (ball/puck) + adverb/prepositional phrase

dribble + adverb/prepositional phrase

Usage Note

The body part used depends on the sport: the hand in basketball, the foot in football (soccer), and the stick in hockey. Often used without an object in commands and instructions.

Common Mistakes

He dribbled the basketball with both feet.
He dribbled the basketball with his left hand.
use the hand in basketball; feet are for football (soccer).

dribble — noun

Word family

  • dribbler
    nounB1
  • dribbling
    nounA2
  • dribbly
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/3

In sports such as football and basketball, these four words describe different ways of moving or sending the ball. Dribble means to move forward while keeping the ball close through many small touches — the player stays in control of the ball. Kick means to strike the ball once with the foot, usually to send it a long distance, either to a teammate or toward the goal. Pass means to send the ball to a teammate, which can be done with the foot (football), the hand (basketball), or a stick (hockey). Shoot means to try to score by sending the ball toward the goal or basket with a single strong action. While dribbling involves repeated touches and close control, kicking, passing, and shooting are single, purposeful actions that send the ball away from the player. For example, a football player dribbles up the field, kicks a pass to a teammate, and that teammate shoots at the goal. A basketball player dribbles toward the basket, then shoots a layup past the defender.

dribble ↗kick ↗pass ↗shoot ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a dribble of
  • dribble past someone
  • dribble down the court

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Dribble comes from the Middle English word drivelen, meaning 'to slobber or flow slowly.' It is related to the Old English dreflian, which also meant to slobber. The liquid-flow sense appeared first, and in the 1800s, the sports meaning developed — people compared the short, uneven bounces of a ball to drops of liquid falling in an unsteady stream.