1
as in to stain
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to smear
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
he begins his nightly transformation into a circus clown by daubing greasepaint on his face
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in drawing
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daub
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
In another, an audience get to its feet to applaud a famed film director who’s accepting a prize at an awards gala, his face daubed in Indigenous face paint style.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 June 2025
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
One church staffer presses a Bible to her forehead while another daubs her stomach with a pocket-size vial of holy oil.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for daub
Verb
Researchers expected the dogs to pay most attention to the cat doll, particularly when daubed with the feline scent.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
In another, an audience get to its feet to applaud a famed film director who’s accepting a prize at an awards gala, his face daubed in Indigenous face paint style.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 June 2025
Noun
After another row or two, Daignault’s canvases become increasingly abstract, finally dissolving into blurred daubs of color against black fields.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
One church staffer presses a Bible to her forehead while another daubs her stomach with a pocket-size vial of holy oil.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for daub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daub
Verb
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Sometimes, though, the tree dropped little brown fruits, inedible berries that stained everything and drove me into the glaring sun.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
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In the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s spread, shot by Ethan James Green, Alcaraz posed in an all-white ensemble of a vest, shorts, a top and a suit, stained with clay.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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But the pigment and gum are largely invisible, because harding and Upkett smeared them with white paint used by the Carnegie Museum to cover its walls.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
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The Orbánists first ignored them, then smeared them.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Noun
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An opportunity drawing will be held for an 8-foot-by-8-foot shed to boost fundraising.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
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On the morning after the April 22 drawing, Huesgen received an email from the lottery that took him by surprise.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Sepsis had left his skin peeling and his body blackened, including parts of his fingers, ears, lips and lower legs.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Broil close to heat until blackened and blistered, 4 to 5 minutes per side.—
Rick Bayless,
Midwest Living,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Israel prohibits many construction materials from entering Gaza, so the structure was created by welding sheets of metal together and painting them white.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
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Or is Williamson, facing sentencing, just trying to paint herself in a sympathetic light?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The design ethos translates to a warren of nook-and-cranny sitting rooms decorated in sage and slate, ox-blood leather, curiosities and ancestral portraits.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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Related Stories Laird plays Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, a daughter of the lower-middle classes who uses her skills as a portrait painter to hustle her way into the royal court of Versailles.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But as filming continued, Pidgeon appeared to dirty her butter blond with caramel and chocolate shades similar to Bessette-Kennedy’s, thanks to stylist Kari Hill.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This gel-like substance coats your gut and binds to cholesterol, preventing it from entering your bloodstream.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
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Certain mascaras, foundations and dental flosses also use PFAS as texture or coating agents.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Daub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daub. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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