How to Use dribble in a Sentence

dribble

1 of 2 verb
  • Juice dribbled down his chin.
  • Dribble olive oil over the warm bread before serving.
  • She dribbled across the basketball court.
  • He skillfully dribbled the soccer ball towards the goal.
  • She accidentally dribbled wine onto the rug.
  • Rollins rarely shoots when dribbling around a screen.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Stern likes to eat them over the sink, juice dribbling down his chin.
    — Patricia Mazzei, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2023
  • Davis dribbled into the paint and made a floater.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
  • Mané to his friends — dribbled past logic.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 May 2026
  • Also, there are a lot of guys who dribble a ton on this roster.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • When a young man tries to quench its thirst, the water dribbles out of a hole in its neck.
    — Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
  • Noel took a feed, dribbled the puck with his stick and slammed the puck into the net with ease.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Maybe not strong enough to dribble through traffic or body up on defense.
    — David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Apr. 2022
  • Raúl had taught us dribbling tricks and how to hit a header from a corner shot.
    — Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
  • But this time, the ball ticked off the end of the club and dribbled 27 yards to the right.
    — Stu Woo, WSJ, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Michelsen aced Tien with a serve that ticked the top of the net before dribbling over.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Thomas dribbled behind the back and rushed into the paint to score on a floater for the lead.
    — Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
  • White ripped the ball through to his right side and began dribbling down an open lane toward the hoop.
    — Brian Sampson, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2023
  • The right-winger is full of pace, can dribble past his opponent and is a threat on the counter.
    — Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • These beloved berries will stain your fingers a deep purple and leave trails of juice dribbling down your chin.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 July 2023
  • Wahab went from barely able to dribble to hitting mid-range jumpers and spin moves.
    — Ryan McFadden, baltimoresun.com, 27 Dec. 2021
  • Donaldson dribbles the ball and launches it at the hoop.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026
  • The dominant dunks became limp layups that dribbled off the rim.
    — Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • And then for soccer, dribbling is, like, just kicking it with your feet and keeping it close.
    — Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 12 June 2026
  • Leo scored the first, then set off on this Maradona-style run, dribbling past opponents.
    — Xavi, New York Times, 21 June 2026
  • Guards and wings fly around the perimeter of play, dribbling, passing, taking longer shots.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
  • But Butler ghosted in from the side to swipe the ball and dribbled to the other end.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Roacho Amador quickly picked up the basics of how to dribble and shoot.
    — Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 7 Dec. 2020
  • There is something so enjoyable about a centre-back dribbling all the way through like that.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 May 2026
  • Cordner sent a wide ball to Loden, who dribbled down the sideline.
    — Lynn Ramsey, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2023

dribble

2 of 2 noun
  • He wiped a dribble of juice from the corner of the baby's mouth.
  • She gave the ball a dribble before passing it.
  • From there, two hard dribbles led into a pair of big steps.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2026
  • LoVett can stop and pop off the dribble in midrange as well as from deep.
    — Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Two dribbles was about my limit.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • Batton took a dribble, jumped off two feet and laid the ball in off the glass.
    — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Feb. 2022
  • The last time the ball hit the floor was Thurmond’s last dribble.
    — Bob Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Oct. 2022
  • That slight lapse allowed Danz a chance to steal on the dribble and lay it up for the win.
    — David Hinojosa, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Mar. 2022
  • Now, the eyes that had watched her dribble around the park lolled to the left or right, unfocused.
    — Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2022
  • Thompson is more of a scorer than his brother and has great burst off the dribble.
    — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
  • Was able to knock down catch-and-shoots, off the dribble, in the midrange, off the dribble from 3.
    — Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Two, the Suns are still a work in progress defending the dribble.
    — Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 2 Jan. 2024
  • His possession dribbles per touch have been down to start the season.
    — Ricardo Sandoval, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Skinner can score from off the dribble, along with flexing a strong perimeter game.
    — Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2022
  • Butler, at 6-7, used a first step and dribble to create an open jumper.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2022
  • Kunka has the size and the ability off the dribble to score at the basket.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, chicagotribune.com, 11 Jan. 2022
  • Appollis made some slick dribbles to set up a right-footed shot from outside the box.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 June 2026
  • Can’t really shoot off the dribble and the mechanics may need sped up.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 16 June 2022
  • Miles also dazzled the crowd with behind-the-back dribbles and no-look passes.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Alabama pressed in the half-court and forced the Commodores to beat them off the dribble.
    — Nick Alvarez | [email protected], al, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Though Mahaney thrives off the dribble, Ducas is more of a catch-and-shoot player.
    — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2023
  • But his ability to just off the dribble rise up and get complete clearance is special.
    — Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Jan. 2024
  • If Smart had held the ball a moment longer, or taken a dribble, his shot would have been the only shot.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2023
  • Rozier took one last dribble to his right, near the free-throw line, and rose up for the potential game-winner.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 19 Nov. 2022
  • The Suns could use a guy who’s all but guaranteed to give you 20 points a night off the dribble.
    — Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2023
  • In fact, every one of Ziebell’s 10 triples came right off the catch — no dribbles required.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Xavier's defense it getting beaten off the dribble and giving up way too many clean looks on the perimeter.
    — Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2023
  • Kane took a quick dribble and shot the ball past defender Amos Pieper and into the net.
    — Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 20 Aug. 2023
  • Two dribbles to get to his spot, rather than continuing to work in a crowd for a better shot that doesn’t exist.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Before his goal, his best moments were neat turns and dribbles near the halfway line, too far from the goal to create big chances.
    — Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dribble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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