Dub

/dʌb/

verbmediumCommonGeneral

Definitions

4 meanings
1

To confer a title or honor upon someone, typically by touching them with a sword.

/dʌb/

verbneutralmedium
General

To give a title or nickname to someone.

The king dubbed him Sir Reginald for his bravery.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're a super important leader, and you get to give out cool titles! When you 'dub' someone, you're giving them a special name or rank. Like, the queen might 'dub' a soldier 'Sir'.

👶 For kids: To give someone a special name or title, like making someone a knight!

More Examples

2

She was dubbed the 'Queen of Pop' by her fans.

3

The committee dubbed the project 'Project Phoenix'.

How It's Used

Ceremonial

"The Queen dubbed him a knight for his services to the country."

2

To add new sound (e.g., voices, music, sound effects) to a film or video that has already been recorded.

/dʌb/

verbneutralmedium
Arts

To provide a new soundtrack for a film or video.

The film was dubbed into several languages for international distribution.

💡 Simply: Ever watch a movie where the characters' voices sound different? That's because they 'dubbed' it! They record new voices to match the actors on screen, usually in a different language.

👶 For kids: To put new sounds or voices on a movie or show after it's already been made.

More Examples

2

The actors spent hours in the studio, dubbing their lines.

3

They needed to dub the background music to match the action.

How It's Used

Film/Television

"They had to dub the foreign film into English."

Audio Production

"The sound engineer dubbed the voiceover onto the video."

Tip:Think of 'dub' as 'adding' to a visual. 'Dub' in sounds later on.
3

A nickname or a shortened form of a name, especially used in informal contexts.

/dʌb/

nounneutralBeginner
General

A nickname or alias.

His dub for his gaming persona is 'Shadow Wolf'.

💡 Simply: It's like a special nickname, like if your friend's name is 'Robert' but everyone calls him 'Rob'.

👶 For kids: A nickname or a cool name that someone uses.

More Examples

2

She used the dub 'Starling' online.

3

The singer's stage dub was simply 'Rina'.

How It's Used

Informal

"He goes by the dub 'Ace' in the gaming community."

Tip:Think of a DJ or a character in a game.
4

A genre of reggae music that emphasizes the use of remixing techniques and studio effects.

/dʌb/

nounneutralmedium
Arts

A type of reggae music

The sound system blasted dub rhythms all night long.

💡 Simply: It's a type of music that's like reggae but with cool sound effects added by the DJ.

👶 For kids: A kind of reggae music that's been mixed with some fun sounds.

More Examples

2

The band's unique sound incorporated elements of dub.

3

She loves the heavy basslines found in dub music.

How It's Used

Music

"He's a fan of dub music"

Tip:Think of remixing and studio sounds.

Idioms & expressions

Dub out

To make something sound like dub music by remixing.

"The DJ dubbed out the track with heavy echo and delay."

From Middle English *dubben*, from Old English *dubban* ('to strike, tap, or strike with a sword'), possibly related to a Germanic root meaning 'to hit, tap, or knock'. It evolved to mean 'to confer a title' and later 'to record additional audio'.

Historically, 'dub' was used in Middle English to mean to strike, tap, or beat. The meaning evolved to mean 'to bestow a title' by tapping the person on the shoulder with a sword.

Memory tip

Imagine someone is 'dubbed' or given a new official title with a sword.

Base: dub
dubbdubbed

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written