dumbbell

American  

[duhm-bel] / ˈdʌmˌbɛl /

noun

1. a gymnastic apparatus consisting of two wooden or metal balls connected by a short bar serving as a handle, used as a weight for exercising.

2. a stupid person.

   Synonyms:

   dimwit, blockhead, fool, ignoramus, dunce

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dumbbell British  

/ ˈdʌmˌbɛl /

noun

1. gymnastics weightlifting an exercising weight consisting of a single bar with a heavy ball or disc at either end

2. a small wooden object shaped like this used in dog training for the dog to retrieve

3. slang a fool

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Etymology

Origin of dumbbell

First recorded in 1705–15; dumb + bell ¹

Explanation

A dumbbell is a type of weight you might see at a gym. You typically lift a dumbbell with one hand — unless it's too heavy and you accidentally drop it on your foot. Ouch! The short, handheld exercise weights are known as dumbbells, while the larger weights that require two hands for lifting are barbells. If you're new to weightlifting, you might want to start doing bicep curls with light dumbbells. The name comes from the bar once used to ring a church bell: dumbbells resemble these ringers, although they're dumb, or "silent." Dumbbell is also used in a derogatory way to mean "stupid person."

Example Sentences

Dumbbell workouts: Dumbbell exercises build muscle strength and can also help improve balance and bone density.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 20, 2021

Now what’s in the works for the Bridgehead instead is a set of oddball housing and office spaces, including a pair of buildings covered in wallpaper designs and known as The Fair-Haired Dumbbell.

From Slate • Oct. 15, 2014

Samuelson also called the big deficits of the past few years "responsible," moving the New York Daily News, which takes a Middle-American view of economics, to nominate him for "this year's Dumbbell Award."

From Time Magazine Archive

Miss Talmadge's first venture as an artist�a pen-and-ink artist�will be a series of cartoons entitled Dulcy, The Delightful Dumbbell.

From Time Magazine Archive

His other large picture, "Interior of a Dumbbell by Night," has the same basic idea without the appearance of it, and gives a very vital sense of the elimination of noumenal perceptivity.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, April 5, 1916 by Seaman, Owen, Sir