Word
dub
US/ˈdəb/
UK/dˈʌb/
Definitions
01to give a nickname
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to give someone or something a particular name or nickname.
v. to confer a name, title, or nickname upon a person or thing. Transitive; often used in the passive voice.
“The media dubbed him the 'King of Pop' because of his huge success.”
“The press quickly dubbed the new skyscraper 'The Shard' due to its distinctive glass exterior and sharp, angular peak.”
02to change film audio
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to replace the original speech in a film with a translation in another language.
v. to provide a film or television programme with a new soundtrack, typically a synchronized translation of the original dialogue.
Español:doblar
“I prefer watching foreign movies with subtitles rather than dubbed versions.”
“The studio decided to dub the animated feature into twelve different languages to maximize its international box-office potential.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03to knight someone
C2 · Proficiency Formal
v. to make someone a knight by touching their shoulders with a sword.
v. to confer knighthood upon a person by the ceremonial tapping of the shoulder with a sword.
“The Queen dubbed the explorer a knight for his services to science.”
“In a traditional ceremony, the monarch dubbed the veteran diplomat a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.”
Synonyms
04a win
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Slang · Informal
n. a slang word for a victory or a win.
n. a slang term for a victory, derived from the phonetic pronunciation of the letter 'W'.
“Our team played great today and we finally got the dub.”
“After a grueling overtime period, the squad managed to secure the dub and advance to the regional finals.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “dub” in context.
Verb
01. dub the film into english
“The studio decided to dub the film into English to reach a wider international audience.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
02. dub the project a success
“Critics were quick to dub the project a success after the opening night.”
verb + noun + adj
03. promptly dub the newcomer
“The press promptly dubbed the newcomer 'the next big thing' in tennis.”
adv + verb
Noun
04. dub version of the track
“The B-side of the single features a heavy dub version of the track with deep bass.”
noun + of + noun
Adverb
05. aptly dub the movement
“Historians aptly dubbed the movement the 'Great Awakening' due to its cultural impact.”
adv + verb
06. clumsily dub the dialogue
“The low-budget production clumsily dubbed the dialogue, resulting in poor lip-syncing.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“Analysts dub this phenomenon "screen tourism," the kind that encourages visits to film and TV locations, a trend which is particularly popular among Millennials and Generation Z.” “Fire Rush announced a singular literary talent: a novelist capable of fusing the propulsive rhythms of dub music with the spiritual inheritance of African spiritualism, defying conventional realism.” Etymology
From Middle English dubben, from Old English dubbian (“to knight by striking with a sword, dub”) from Old French adober (“to equip with arms; adorn”) (also 11th century, Modern French adouber), both from Proto-West Germanic dubbōn, from Proto-Germanic dub- (“to hit, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“plug, peg, wedge”). Cognate with Icelandic dubba (in dubba til riddara). Compare also drub for an English reflex of the Germanic word.
1505-1515
1885-90. Imitative; see also flub, flubdub.
From a shortening of the word double.
From Celtic; compare Irish dobhar (“water”), Welsh dŵr (“water”).
From shortening of double dime (“twenty”).
From dup (“to open”), from do + up, from Middle English don up (“to open”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/dub
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0