dim

[ dim ]

/ dɪm /

|||

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adjective, dim·mer, dim·mest.

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.

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.

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), dimmed, dim·ming.

to make dim or dimmer.

to switch (the headlights of a vehicle) from the high to the low beam.

verb (used without object), dimmed, dim·ming.

to become or grow dim or dimmer.

Verb Phrases

dim out, (in wartime) to reduce the night illumination of (a city, ship, etc.) to make it less visible from the air or sea, as a protection from enemy aircraft or ships.

Nearby words

dilute, dilution, diluvial, diluvialism, diluvium, dim, dim bulb, dim sum, dim-out, dim., dimaggio

Idioms

take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval, skepticism, or dismay: Her mother takes a dim view of her choice of friends.

Origin of dim

before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim(me), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr

SYNONYMS FOR dim

3 unclear, faint, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, hazy.

10 darken, cloud.

12 dull, fade.

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Related forms

dim·ly, adverbdim·ma·ble, adjectivedim·ness, nounun·dim, adjective

un·dim·ly, adverbun·dimmed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See dark.

Definition for dim (2 of 3)

dim.

(in prescriptions) one-half.

Origin of dim.

From the Latin word dīmidius

Definition for dim (3 of 3)

dim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dim

Justin gazed out from the dim interior as more than 300 police motorcycles from dozens of jurisdictions rumbled past.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos|Michael Daly|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Below, the thick marshland and dim lights created a scene that Breman describes as “Joseph Conrad territory.”
The Original Ebola Hunter|Abby Haglage|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a dim backroom of a mud hut in Save, 82-year-old Teresa Nyirabutunda sits propped upright in bed by her daughter, Francine.
After the Genocide, Rwanda’s Widows Aging Alone|Nina Strochlic|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My concerns about the study do not dim my admiration for the fund itself or the work that it does.
How to Tell When a Scientific Study Is Total B.S.|Russell Saunders|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For a place with a past stretching into the dim mists, this is the architectural equivalent of a historical death.
The Deadly Trap Behind D-Day’s Beaches|Clive Irving|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He stayed in his own room, a dim light penetrating the opaque window-panes.
Rudy and Babette|Hans Christian Andersen
He no longer felt a dim animosity and inferiority in his presence.
Flappers and Philosophers|F. Scott Fitzgerald
Presenty there was a little light—not much, but enough to mark clearly the dim outlines of the trees.
Wang the Ninth|Putnam Weale
The rose had faded from the cheek, the eyes were dim and lustreless.
The Life and Beauties of Fanny Fern|Anonymous
We arranged, before starting, to meet at a certain tall tree, which stood up against the sky in the dim starlight.
The Somnambulist and the Detective|Allan Pinkerton

British Dictionary definitions for dim

dim

/ (dɪm) /

adjective dimmer or dimmest

badly illuminateda dim room

not clearly seen; indistinct; fainta dim shape

having weak or indistinct visioneyes dim with tears

lacking in understanding; mentally dull

not clear in the mind; obscurea dim memory

lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustrea dim colour

tending to be unfavourable; gloomy or disapproving (esp in the phrase take a dim view)

verb dims, dimming or dimmed

to become or cause to become dim

(tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison

US and Canadian (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beamAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip

Derived Forms

dimly, adverbdimness, noun

Word Origin for dim

Old English dimm; related to Old Norse dimmr gloomy, dark

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

dim

adjective, dim·mer, dim·mest.

verb (used with object), dimmed, dim·ming.

verb (used without object), dimmed, dim·ming.

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of dim

SYNONYMS FOR dim

Related forms

Synonym study

Definition for dim (2 of 3)

dim.

Origin of dim.

Definition for dim (3 of 3)

dim.

Examples from the Web for dim

British Dictionary definitions for dim

dim

adjective dimmer or dimmest

verb dims, dimming or dimmed

Derived Forms

Word Origin for dim

Medicine definitions for dim

dim.

abbr.

Idioms and Phrases with dim

dim