To dab means to touch something lightly and quickly, usually with a soft material. You might dab a tissue against a scraped knee to clean it without rubbing, or dab paint onto paper with a sponge instead of brushing it.

The word suggests a gentle, careful touch rather than a rough wipe or smear. When your mom checks if cookies are done baking, she might dab one lightly with her finger to test its firmness. A nurse might dab ointment on a cut. In art class, you could create an interesting texture by dabbing paint with a crumpled paper towel.

As a noun, a dab can also mean a small amount of something: you might need just a dab of glue to fix a torn page, or add a dab of mustard to your sandwich.

The word also refers to a dance move that became wildly popular around 2015, where you drop your head into one bent elbow while raising the other arm. Athletes celebrated touchdowns with it, kids did it in photos, and it spread so fast that within months it went from cool to overused to something people joked about being outdated.