daub

UK: /ˈdɔːb/ US: /dɔb/ ,(dôb)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

daub /dɔb/   v. 

1. to cover or coat with soft, sticky matter: [ ~ + obj + with + obj]:
   Daub the surface with plaster.
   [ ~ + obj + on + obj]:
   Daub plaster on the surface.
2. [ ~ + obj] to smear, smudge, make dirty:
   walls daubed with fingerprints.
3. to apply unskillfully, as paint or colors: [ ~ + obj + with + obj]:
   He daubed his canvas with paint.
   [ ~ + obj + on + obj]:
   He daubed paint on his canvas.

daub•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

daub  (dôb), v.t. 

1. to cover or coat with soft, adhesive matter, as plaster or mud:
   to daub a canvas with paint; to daub stone walls with mud.
2. Building to spread (plaster, mud, etc.) on or over something:
   to daub plaster on a brick wall.
3. to smear, soil, or defile.
4. to apply, as paint or colors, unskillfully.

v.i. 

5. to daub something.
6. to paint unskillfully.

n. 

7. Building material, esp. of an inferior kind, for daubing walls.
8. something daubed on.
9. an act of daubing.
10. a crude, inartistic painting.

• Latin dealbāre, equivalent. to de-, prevocalic variant of dē- de- + albāre to whiten, derivative of albus white; (noun, nominal) late Middle English, derivative of the verb, verbal
• Anglo-French, Old French dauber to whiten, paint
• (verb, verbal) Middle English dauben 1275–1325

daub′er, n. 
daub′ing•ly, adv. 
daub′y, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

daub / dɔːb/ verb

1. (transitive) to smear or spread (paint, mud, etc), esp carelessly
2. (transitive) to cover or coat (with paint, plaster, etc) carelessly
3. to paint (a picture) clumsily or badly

noun

1. an unskilful or crude painting
2. something daubed on, esp as a wall covering
   See also wattle and daub
3. a smear (of paint, mud, etc)

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French dauber to paint, whitewash, from Latin dealbāre, from albāre to whiten, from albus white

ˈdauber noun