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dumdum

1 American  
[duhm-duhm] / ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

  1. dum-dum.


dumdum 2 American  
[duhm-duhm] / ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

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


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.

He often described himself as “a professional dumdum” — a dogged interlocutor whose questions led to some extraordinary structures and, at least once, to no structure at all.

From New York Times

Here comes the dumdum who had no idea what we were saying.

From Time

Maybe you shouldn't pose nude if you can't handle the public seeing it. #dumdum.

From The Verge

He’d heard the word so often—mostly from Maria—he’d thought it was only a swear word, like dumdum or cootie face.

From Literature

Ironically, international law has managed to outlaw the poisoned arrow and the dumdum bullet, the land mine and the cluster bomb, but nuclear weapons have thus far been too hot for it to handle.

From Newsweek