1. (

• dabble

) dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid ;

2. (

• dabble ,
• paddle ,
• splash_around

) play in or as if in water, as of small children ;

3. (

• dabble ,
• smatter ,
• play_around ,

) work with in an amateurish manner; "She dabbles in astronomy"; "He plays around with investments but he never makes any money" ;

4. (

• dabble ,

) bob forward and under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water; "dabbling ducks" ;

1. (

• dabbled ,
• spattered ,
• splashed ,
• splattered

) covered with bright patches (often used in combination); "waves dabbled with moonlight"; "a blood-spattered room"; "gardens splashed with color"; "kitchen walls splattered with grease" ;