To dribble means to bounce a basketball repeatedly while moving, keeping control of it with your fingertips. In basketball, you can't just run while holding the ball: you have to keep dribbling it, bouncing it off the floor with each step. A skilled player can dribble the ball between their legs, behind their back, or while dodging defenders. Learning to dribble without looking down at the ball takes practice, but it's essential for moving around the court.

The word also means to let liquid drip slowly in small amounts. A leaky faucet dribbles water drop by drop. A baby might dribble milk down their chin while drinking from a bottle. When you're thirsty and tip a water bottle too slowly, water dribbles out instead of flowing smoothly.

As a noun, a dribble is a small, slow flow of liquid.

In soccer, dribbling means moving the ball forward by giving it small, controlled kicks while running. A soccer player dribbles past defenders by keeping the ball close to their feet.