What does "daub" mean?
Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.
Daub
/dɔb/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.
- Grammar: daub is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: blot, smear, abstract, abstraction.
- Useful contrasts: clarify, clean, erase.
- Usage evidence: I applied a fat daub of paint to the canvas.
How to use "daub"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "daub" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "daub" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "daub" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "daub" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "daub" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "blot" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "daub", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction. countable, uncountable
- 2 an unskillful painting wordnet
- 3 A soft coating of mud, plaster, etc. countable, uncountable
- 4 a blemish made by dirt wordnet
- 5 A crude or amateurish painting. countable, uncountable
"Ah, but what if he penned what in the art schools they call an 'artist's statement' wherein he explained the relation of his gibberish or his daubs to the mainstream of art or writing?"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 material used to daub walls wordnet
Verb
- 1 To apply (something) to a surface in hasty or crude strokes. intransitive, transitive
"The artist just seemed to daub on paint at random and suddenly there was a painting."
- 2 cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it wordnet
- 3 To paint (a picture, etc.) in a coarse or unskilful manner. transitive
"[…] a lame, imperfect Piece, rudely daub’d over with too little Reflection and too much haste."
- 4 apply to a surface wordnet
- 5 To cover with a specious or deceitful exterior; to disguise; to conceal. obsolete, transitive
"So smooth he daub’d his vice with show of virtue,"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 coat with plaster wordnet
- 7 To flatter excessively or grossly. obsolete, transitive
"I can safely say, however, that without any daubing at all, I am, very sincerely, Your very affectionate, humble servant,"
- 8 To put on without taste; to deck gaudily. obsolete, transitive
"1697, John Dryden, “On the Three Dukes killing the Beadle on Sunday Morning, Febr. the 26th, 1670/1” in John Denham et al., Poems on affairs of state from the time of Oliver Cromwell, to the abdication of K. James the Second, London, p. 148, Yet shall Whitehall the Innocent, the Good, See these men dance all daub’d with Lace and Blood."
- 9 To mark spots on a bingo card, using a dauber. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I applied a fat daub of paint to the canvas."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "daub"?
Common synonyms include: blot, smear, abstract, abstraction, altarpiece, amateur painting.
How do you use "daub" in a sentence?
I applied a fat daub of paint to the canvas.
How do you pronounce "daub"?
Pronounced /dɔb/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English daub (noun), from Middle English dauben (“to plaster or whitewash; cover with clay; bespatter”, verb), from Old Northern French dauber (“to whitewash; plaster”), of uncertain origin. Probably from Latin dealbāre (“to whiten thoroughly”).
Etymology 2
* As a German and Jewish surname, variant of Taube, occupational surname from the noun meaning "pigeon, dove." * As a south German surname, from the adjective taub (“deaf”).