as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a British mystery writer who's an undisputed dab hand at building suspense
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Recent Examples of dab hand
In addition to the outfits of the characters in her famous self-portraits, American artist Cindy Sherman is also a dab hand at finds for herself.
—
Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Van Norden, a dab hand with Shakespeare, is a natural for Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Benedict, meanwhile, is an expert colorist, a dab hand with print who knows all about decorative drama.
—Grace McCloud, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
Zach is a dab hand at herbal knockout potions and the occasional amateur amputation, and there’s a scene featuring the latter in which Wheatley indulges his twin tastes for deadpan comedy and head-on gross-outs to the extreme.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2021
Sarah, a dab hand at deflecting sexism and maintaining her professional composure, takes the microphone and expresses her excitement at being on board.
—Justin Chang Film Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2020
That, perhaps, is a little less in the bag, but the Kremlin’s operatives are dab hands at suppressing protests and neutering the press.
—The Economist, 12 Mar. 2020
This is a very different approach to sister-in-law Kate Middleton, and Harry’s older brother, Prince William, who have so far welcomed three royal babies into the world, and are kind of a dab hand at the whole thing.
—Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, 11 Apr. 2019
The returning characters include Lucius Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and steely, brilliant Edna Mode (voiced by director Bird), who turns out to be a dab hand at babysitting the literal fireball Jack-Jack.
—Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2018
Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Van Norden, a dab hand with Shakespeare, is a natural for Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
Benedict, meanwhile, is an expert colorist, a dab hand with print who knows all about decorative drama.
—Grace McCloud, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
Zach is a dab hand at herbal knockout potions and the occasional amateur amputation, and there’s a scene featuring the latter in which Wheatley indulges his twin tastes for deadpan comedy and head-on gross-outs to the extreme.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2021
Sarah, a dab hand at deflecting sexism and maintaining her professional composure, takes the microphone and expresses her excitement at being on board.
—Justin Chang Film Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2020
That, perhaps, is a little less in the bag, but the Kremlin’s operatives are dab hands at suppressing protests and neutering the press.
—The Economist, 12 Mar. 2020
This is a very different approach to sister-in-law Kate Middleton, and Harry’s older brother, Prince William, who have so far welcomed three royal babies into the world, and are kind of a dab hand at the whole thing.
—Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, 11 Apr. 2019
The returning characters include Lucius Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and steely, brilliant Edna Mode (voiced by director Bird), who turns out to be a dab hand at babysitting the literal fireball Jack-Jack.
—Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab hand
Noun
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Travelers beware: From vacation scams to insurance to personal safety, a few key considerations can make or break a big trip, according to industry experts.—
Gretchen Eichenberg,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Adopt a zero-tolerance approach: Document every incident thoroughly with legal experts and witnesses, distinguishing valid concerns from smear campaigns, false claims or prejudice.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Every master craftsman had their own tools – often specialized and always prized possessions handed down from generation to generation.—
John Sviokla,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Raq is a master manipulator who claims to value loyalty above all else, especially from her henchmen brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou (Malcolm Mays) and her only son, yet constantly destabilizes the three of them with selfish mind games and power plays that genuinely harm them.—
Robyn Bahr,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Legal scholars question what will happen to the Fed if the Supreme Court says independent agencies are unconstitutional.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2025
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The Department Of Education Is Already Being Dismantled, Impacting Student Loan Operations Most legal scholars agree that Trump cannot simply eliminate the Department of Education through executive action.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.—
Holland Cotter,
New York Times,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Naomi Goggin Switch to island time—and expect transportation snafus Even with two planners, and a bride adept at project management, there was one logistical hurdle that was tough to cross: local transportation.—
Kaitlin Menza,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
O’Reilly has Stanley Cup pedigree, defensive prowess and is a wizard at the faceoff dot.—
Jesse Granger,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Selena Gomez is making her return to the Disney+ series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place as free-wheeling wizard Alex Russo, and Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look from the episode.—
Calie Schepp,
EW.com,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Kenz Warfield is the owner and artist at Kreativity by Kenz in Baltimore, Maryland.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2025
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As the title hints, the relationship was plagued with disagreements, and the artist soon abandoned her original idea for a collaboration with the organization.—
Fabiola Iza,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Starr is also accompanied by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brenda Lee (whose career predates the Beatles) and contemporary bluegrass virtuoso Tuttle.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
5 Mar. 2025
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They are joined by Hawaiian slack key guitar virtuoso Stephen Inglis.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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As anti-aging gurus will tell you, collagen is a large molecule that help gives skin its firm, smooth appearance.—
Alison Escalante,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Meghan McCain and Bethenny Frankel are criticizing the aspiring lifestyle guru as Mindy Kaling defended misconceptions surrounding her friend in a recent interview.—
Jay Stahl,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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