dab

“He can’t use his hands at all so we also have to dab him with towels. He can’t even scratch his nose.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

For the last few days, smack dab in the middle of his long-awaited breakthrough at USC, Arenas was sick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

"People don't realise, but cod was not the go-to fish when fish and chip shops started about 160 years ago," he said, revealing that it was dab that first made up a fish supper.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

We’re smack dab in the middle of 2010 again.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2025

She’d baked cheese into the biscuits and topped each one with a dab of pepper relish.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

As she talks, she carefully dabs concealer under her eyes and adds some pink blush and highlighter to her cheeks.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

We’re not talking about traditional formulaic “landscapes” of yore — SoCal tract homes swathed in lawns edged with nondescript shrubs and dabs of annual color bought at big-box nurseries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025

Martha Stewart doesn't do warts, but Cutler edits a wry irony into the artful coverage she dabs on her blemishes, like her refusal to count her marital infidelity as equivalent to that of her husband.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024

A selection of all white suits, jackets and lace dresses also featured in the spring/summer 2024 collection, as did dabs of leopard print on shiny macs and dresses.

From Reuters ● Sep. 23, 2023

They fixed the cracks themselves, carefully, with dabs of joint compound from a pint-sized container.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

“It’s so difficult to explain,” said Gorden, now 33 and the captain at Angel City, as she dabbed at the tears with a tissue.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026

In the rear open kitchen, Manon Fleury turned humble winter produce into memorable dishes: Fried sweet-potato threads mimicked a mini funnel cake, dabbed with loquat jam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

Afterwards Nawat appeared at a press conference wearing a tuxedo and openly weeping as he theatrically dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief, claiming he had been "betrayed".

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025

He frequently dabbed at the eye and found it difficult to match Rodriguez's pace.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2025

His hand trembled as he dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

We see through her eyes an assistant dabbing moisturizer on her hand, art installers asking where she wants a large sculpture, a man cleaning her pool who greets her.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

“He never told anyone what to say,” she said, occasionally dabbing her eyes with a tissue as she spoke.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

"You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have," she said, dabbing away tears and occasionally pausing to collect herself.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025

When she’s asked to imagine her life after “Hacks,” Einbinder’s face suddenly turns pink, a folded tissue appears, and she’s dabbing away tears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025

Everyone, that is, except Jenna, who turns to face a wall, lifts her T-shirt, and starts dabbing her underarms with a wet washcloth.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins