dim
1 Americanadjective
-
not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light.
a dim room; a dim flashlight.
-
not seen clearly or in detail; indistinct.
a dim object in the distance.
-
not clear to the mind; vague.
a dim idea.
- Synonyms:
- hazy, fuzzy, indistinct, indefinite, faint, unclear
-
not brilliant; dull in luster.
a dim color.
-
not clear or distinct to the senses; faint.
a dim sound.
-
not seeing clearly.
eyes dim with tears.
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tending to be unfavorable; not likely to happen, succeed, be favorable, etc..
a dim chance of winning.
-
not understanding clearly.
-
rather stupid; dim-witted.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb phrase
idioms
abbreviation
abbreviation
-
dimension.
-
diminish.
-
diminuendo.
-
diminutive.
adjective
-
badly illuminated
a dim room
-
not clearly seen; indistinct; faint
a dim shape
-
having weak or indistinct vision
eyes dim with tears
-
lacking in understanding; mentally dull
-
not clear in the mind; obscure
a dim memory
-
lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustre
a dim colour
-
tending to be unfavourable; gloomy or disapproving (esp in the phrase take a dim view )
verb
-
to become or cause to become dim
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(tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison
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Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip. (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam
Usage
What does dim mean? Dim describes something as lacking light or having a weak brightness, as in a dim flashlight or a dim tunnel. Dim also describes things that are unclear, because of poor visibility, a weak understanding, or a more general lack of clarity, as in a dim shape in the distance, a dim noise, or a dim knowledge of math. Dim also describes having weak or poor vision, as in Jane’s eyes were dim with tears. Dim can be used to mean lacking mental ability or having low intelligence. However, this is almost always considered insulting.As a verb, dim means to make something dim or less bright, as in He dimmed the lights. It can also be used to mean to grow dim or dimmer, as in The noise of the engine dimmed as the car drove out of sight. Example: Although the tunnel was dim, the faint candlelight guided the miner back to the surface.
Related Words
See dark.
Other Word Forms
- dimly adverb
- dimmable adjective
- dimness noun
- undim adjective
- undimly adverb
- undimmed adjective
Etymology
Origin of dim1
before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim ( me ), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr
Origin of dim.2
From the Latin word dīmidius
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Oliver’s expression crumbled, a light dimming in his eyes.
From Literature
They could also dim the odds of Federal Reserve rate cuts this year.
From Barron's
A hotter-than-expected wholesale inflation reading also dimmed hopes of another rate cut from the Federal Reserve.
Walking into Oldfield’s Liquor Room, I noticed that it looked like a normal bar, all dark wood and dim lighting.
From Los Angeles Times
Faced with a dimming economic outlook, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to bolster the economy by slashing income and consumption taxes which have helped rebound consumer spending in recent quarters.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
