---
title: dribble — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «dribble» in the school dictionary: To let liquid, especially spit, run slowly out of your mouth: babies dribble. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# dribble

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** liquid, babies, spit, baby, She, Water · **What happens:** let, spit, run, dribble, fall, flow · **To what, where:** liquid, mouth, drops, ball, bib, leaky tap

<!-- .vabout -->
«dribble» in the school dictionary: its 4 meanings for a pupil and its 7 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [dribble in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/dribble.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To let liquid, especially spit, run slowly out of your mouth: babies dribble.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:m1:1
# text = To let liquid, especially spit, run slowly out of your mouth: babies dribble.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	let	let	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	liquid	liquid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	especially	especially	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	spit	spit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	run	run	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
9	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
10	out	out	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	mouth	mouth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	16	punct	_	_
15	babies	baby	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	16	nsubj	_	_
16	dribble	dribble	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **let** | to-infinitive |  | liquid |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **spit** | infinitive | liquid *not said here* |  |  |  |  | especially *property* | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **run** | infinitive |  |  |  | your mouth |  | slowly *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme out mouth=Trajectory |
| 4 | **dribble** | present | babies | your mouth *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent mouth=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: of liquid — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To fall or flow slowly in drops or a thin stream.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:m2:1
# text = To fall or flow slowly in drops or a thin stream.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	fall	fall	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	flow	flow	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
5	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	drops	drop	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	stream	stream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fall** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **flow** | infinitive |  |  |  | drops or a thin stream |  | slowly *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in drop=Location |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: sport — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To move a ball along by giving it many small kicks (football) or bounces (basketball) while running.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:m3:1
# text = To move a ball along by giving it many small kicks (football) or bounces (basketball) while running.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	move	move	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	along	along	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
6	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	giving	give	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
10	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	kicks	kick	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
12	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	football	football	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	13	punct	_	_
15	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	bounces	bounce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	conj	_	_
17	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	basketball	basketball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	18	punct	_	_
20	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	21	mark	_	_
21	running	run	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **move** | to-infinitive |  | a ball |  |  |  | along *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent ball=Theme |
| 2 | **give** | gerund |  | ball |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent it=Recipient kick=Theme |
| 3 | **bounce** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **run** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: noun — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A small, thin stream of liquid, or spit coming from the mouth.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:m4:1
# text = A small, thin stream of liquid, or spit coming from the mouth.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
2	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	stream	stream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	liquid	liquid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	spit	spit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
11	coming	come	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
12	from	from	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	mouth	mouth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | gerund | spit *not said here* |  |  | the mouth |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from mouth=Initial\_Location |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The baby dribbled all over his bib.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x1:1
# text = The baby dribbled all over his bib.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	dribbled	dribble	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	all	all	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
5	over	over	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	bib	bib	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dribble** | past | the baby | baby's bib |  |  |  |  | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent bib=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She dribbled the ball past three defenders.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x2:1
# text = She dribbled the ball past three defenders.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	dribbled	dribble	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	past	past	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	7	nummod	_	_
7	defenders	defender	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dribble** | past | She | the ball |  |  |  |  | vn pour-9.5 «NP V NP ADVP»: agent=Agent ball=Theme defender=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Water dribbled from the leaky tap.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x3:1
# text = Water dribbled from the leaky tap.
1	Water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	dribbled	dribble	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	leaky	leaky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	tap	tap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dribble** | past | Water |  |  | the leaky tap |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «NP.theme V PP.source»: agent=Theme from tap=Source |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The basketball player dribbled to the hoop.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x4:1
# text = The basketball player dribbled to the hoop.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	basketball	basketball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	player	player	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	dribbled	dribble	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	hoop	hoop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dribble** | past | the basketball player |  |  | the hoop |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme to hoop=Location |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A dribble of honey ran down the jar.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x5:1
# text = A dribble of honey ran down the jar.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dribble	dribble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	honey	honey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	ran	run	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	down	down	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	jar	jar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **run down** | past | a dribble of honey | the jar |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme jar=Trajectory |
| 2 | **dribble** |  |  | honey |  |  |  |  | nom dribble «event transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The dog dribbled when it smelled the sausages.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x6:1
# text = The dog dribbled when it smelled the sausages.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	dribbled	dribble	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	smelled	smell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	sausages	sausage	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dribble** | past | the dog |  |  |  |  |  | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **smell** | past | dog | the sausages |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer sausage=Stimulus |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We practised dribbling round the cones in PE.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dribble:x7:1
# text = We practised dribbling round the cones in PE.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	practised	practise	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	dribbling	dribble	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	xcomp	_	_
4	round	round	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	cones	cone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	PE	PE	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **practise** | past | We |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **dribble** | gerund | We *not said here* |  |  | the cones in PE |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme round cone=Location |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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