din
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
dins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dinned,
past participle, past
-
dinning
present participle
-
to assail with din.
-
to sound or utter with clamor or persistent repetition.
verb (used without object)
-
dins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dinned,
past participle, past
-
dinning
present participle
noun
abbreviation
abbreviation
noun
verb
-
to instil (into a person) by constant repetition
-
(tr) to subject to a din
-
(intr) to make a din
noun
-
a formerly used logarithmic expression of the speed of a photographic film, plate, etc, given as –10log 10 E, where E is the exposure of a point 0.1 density units above the fog level; high-speed films have high numbers Compare ISO rating
-
a system of standard plugs, sockets, and cables formerly used for interconnecting domestic audio and video equipment
noun
-
a particular religious law; the halacha about something
-
the ruling of a Beth Din or religious court
abbreviation
noun
Synonym Usage
See noise.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dinsimple
-
dinssimple
-
have dinnedperfect
-
has dinnedperfect
-
am dinningprogressive
-
are dinningprogressive
-
is dinningprogressive
-
have been dinningperfect progressive
-
has been dinningperfect progressive
Past
-
dinnedsimple
-
had dinnedperfect
-
was dinningprogressive
-
were dinningprogressive
-
had been dinningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of din1
First recorded before 900; Middle English din(e) (noun), Old English dyne, dynn; cognate with Old Norse dynr “noise,” Old High German tuni, Sanskrit dhuni “roaring”
Origin of din2
From Arabic dīn “religion,” from Persian dēn
Origin of DIN3
First recorded in 1930–35; from German D(eutsche) I(ndustrie) N(ormen) “German industrial standards” (later construed as Das ist Norm “that is (the) standard”), registered mark of the German Institute for Standardization
Explanation
Walk into the average school cafeteria at lunchtime, and you'll get a good sense of what a din is — loud, confused, continuous, generally unpleasant, and often potentially headache-inducing noise. Who knew noise pollution was a problem in ancient times? Humans have been experiencing loud, sustained, annoying sounds for centuries, judging by the etymology of the word din. It traces its roots back to Old English dyne or dynn, which had the same meaning as din does today, only with a different pronunciation. Before that, it popped up in Old Norse as dynr and meant to "come rumbling down" — fitting, from the language that gave us Thor, the God of Thunder.
Vocabulary lists containing din
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Long Walk to Water
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Everyone knew their fellow New Yorkers needed a bit of a break, and for a short period, the usual din of the city calmed to a whisper.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I would like a little more crouton,” she said over the din in the restaurant’s wood-paneled Manhattan dining room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
It was hard to hear above the din.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
But it's not the din of a 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid engine which has caused the alarm.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
They rose with surprising speed into the clear North Carolina air until the din of Lakewood was a distant murmur and the entire city of Durham lay beneath them.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
![]()
If you're short selling stocks, fractal is much less optimistic about DIN and other dining stocks.
From US News ● Aug. 29, 2016
In dollars, the DIN 8-11 category increased 11%, DIN 12-14 slid 1% and juniors shot up 18%.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
Blizzard Binding: Based on proven Marker components and technologies, with a DIN range of 4 to 12.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
In dollars, the DIN 8-11 category decreased 6%, DIN 12-14 slid 29% and juniors fell 2%.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
The Cassette Recorder Jumper Cable has 5-pin audio DIN connectors on both ends.
From Radio Shack TRS-80 Expansion Interface: Operator's Manual Catalog Numbers: 26-1140, 26-1141, 26-1142 by Anonymous
Omits Din. by mistake and prints enjury for enjoy. p.
From The Little French Lawyer A Comedy by Francis Beaumont
Through Le Bas, the young Louis' Jacobin tutor, he dins it in that the boy had no chance to develop normally.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
The multitude of dins is largely devoted, of course, to love, and mostly in songs that court, exhort or contort.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
Now, if there is an insufferable companion under the sun, it is the average "well-informed person" who continually dins into your ears things you were born knowing.
From The Princess Passes by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson
But the dins last night were"—— "Tell me not of such folly.
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by John Roby
The poet dins the chastity of his mistress into his readers' heads until the readers in self-defence are driven to say, "Sir, did any one doubt it?"
From A History of Elizabethan Literature by George Saintsbury
I’ve been oppressed by all these facts and evidence that dinned against My simple claim that I am not more sinning than I’m sinned against.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2021
For 53 days the Voice, harsh, flat and earnest, had dinned from railroad sidings, auditoriums, all around the radio dial.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
On the march their officers dinned into them, "the enemy is stronger."
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
Precisely at this moment the unexploded Nazi bomb exploded and a shower of rubble dinned like hail on the roof of the Duke's car.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
The metal walls dinned back the clangor of his steps.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
![]()
The courtyard features al fresco dinning and fireplaces, as well as sweeping westerly views that capture sunsets and city lights.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2021
In June, we dragged the tables outside and set up the planter boxes for outdoor dinning.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2020
The house had an unfinished quality, and chickens strutted through the dinning room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2019
Haven't eaten in the dinning room in years, no need to spend that kind of money when the dishes in the tavern are so terrific.
From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2016
And then a great thudding and bumping, like huge rams dinning on the ground.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
![]()
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.