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dumdum

1 American  
[duhm-duhm] / ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

  1. a hollow-nosed or soft-nosed bullet that expands on impact, inflicting a severe wound.

dumdum 2 American  
[duhm-duhm] / ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

  1. dum-dum.

dumdum British  
/ ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

  1. Also called: dumdum bullet.  a soft-nosed or hollow-nosed small-arms bullet that expands on impact and inflicts extensive laceration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dumdum

First recorded in 1895–1900; named after Dum-Dum, town in India where the bullets were made

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.

One of the companions asked Abu Dumdum if he could stay with him for a few nights making an excuse of need.

From Time • Jul. 6, 2014

Finally, the companion told Abu Dumdum about what the Prophet had said and why he was actually spending nights in his home.

From Time • Jul. 6, 2014

Finally, a rather simple man by the name of Abu Dumdum appeared.

From Time • Jul. 6, 2014

In the night the companion expected Abu Dumdum to pray all night – but no such thing happened.

From Time • Jul. 6, 2014

And there was this advantage, that Dumfriesshire is next to Ayrshire, that Dumdum was not very far,—some twenty or thirty miles,—from Portray, and that she might learn something about Lizzie Eustace in her country house.

From The Eustace Diamonds by Trollope, Anthony

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.