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
All of which curious George, a dab hand at psychological manipulation, coaxes along with the gentlest of nudges.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
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
Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
All of which curious George, a dab hand at psychological manipulation, coaxes along with the gentlest of nudges.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dab hand
Noun
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That could be a reason why the owners are now seeking a buyer, suggested real estate industry expert George Mack, a principal with Cresa Capital Strategies, a commercial real estate advisory firm.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
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Our shopping experts are selecting the best Prime Day deals on Dyson vacuums, Apple AirPods, Kendra Scott jewelry, and other best-selling products across various categories.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Learn how to meal prep like a pro, create quick and nutritious grab-and-go options, and master time-saving hacks that keep you energized without the morning chaos.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 July 2025
-
Upper Buffalo Land Becomes Wilderness Area Tom Foti is a master botanist and former ecologist/research chief at the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
In addition to being a Sachs scholar, she was named a Gates Scholarship winner — a prestigious award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
-
Robert Osborn, an early thinker on lawn tennis, was also a religious scholar.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
The digital adept also had a nearly eight-year stretch at Teen Vogue.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
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Slot shares this staple of Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s attacking principles, with Porro adept at tucking inside to disrupt the opposition shape.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Could these wizards find a way to dump Zeke Nnaji’s contract, too?—
Matt Schubert,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
-
The wizard will check whether your PC meets the requirements which are not, of course, the same as those needed to upgrade to Windows 11.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
That's amazing for an indie-pop duo, let alone any artist not backed by large companies.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
-
Few of the artists at the inn had seen an Impressionist picture before.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Perhaps the most systematic attempt to bring order to this chaos comes from Google DeepMind, which in July 2024 proposed a framework with five levels of AGI performance: emerging, competent, expert, virtuoso, and superhuman.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 July 2025
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Even with Caitlin Clark once again sidelined, the Fever have been able to count on the virtuoso scoring talent of Kelsey Mitchell and the veteran expertise of Natasha Howard to help stabilize them.—
Devin Robertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Noun
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The mobile network carriers were also excited by the Moto X, though at least partly for self-serving reasons, according to Randall, the supply chain guru.—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
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After that, our Senior Beauty Editor Akili King hosted a panel with beauty gurus Amber Nicole, Princess Rese, and Kristen Noel Crawley about representation and the definition of beauty.—
India Espy-Jones,
Essence,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dab hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dab%20hand. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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