Dabble?

Question

I know you want to learn to drive a truck. Have you ever dabbled? Correct with dabble? Does it mean you already have seen once or touched it, right?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

AnonymousCorrect with dabble? Does it mean you already have seen once or touched it, right?

It seems like you're guessing at the meaning. Why not look it up in a dictionary? Here are some definitions from dictionaries:

To take part in an activity in a casual or superficial way: he dabbled in writing as a young man.
To undertake something superficially or without serious intent: "The restaurant business entails more than ... dabbling in interior design" (Andy Birsh).
to deal with or work at frivolously or superficially; play (at)
to take slight and non-serious interest in a subject or activity
to do something in an intermittent manner
to be an amateur

For one thing it's hard to see how driving a truck could be considered frivolous, or how it could be done superficially without serious intent. Note also that you "dabble in (something)"; it's not usual to say only "dabble" without mentioning the activity that you have dabbled in. And truck-driving doesn't easily qualify as an activity like writing or cooking or playing an instrument, which are the more usual activities that people dabble in.

For these reasons I don't think you've chosen the right word. It would be simpler to write "Have you ever tried?"

CJ

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