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• dim
  dim

  adjective

  not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light.
• dim.
  dim.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) one-half.

dim

¹ American  

[dim] / dɪm /

adjective

dimmer, dimmest

1. not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light.

   a dim room; a dim flashlight.

2. not seen clearly or in detail; indistinct.

   a dim object in the distance.

3. not clear to the mind; vague.

   a dim idea.

   Synonyms:

   hazy, fuzzy, indistinct, indefinite, faint, unclear

4. not brilliant; dull in luster.

   a dim color.

5. not clear or distinct to the senses; faint.

   a dim sound.

6. not seeing clearly.

   eyes dim with tears.

7. tending to be unfavorable; not likely to happen, succeed, be favorable, etc..

   a dim chance of winning.

8. not understanding clearly.

9. rather stupid; dim-witted.

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verb (used with object)

dimmed, dimming

1. to make dim or dimmer.

   Synonyms:

   cloud, darken

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

verb (used without object)

dimmed, dimming

1. to become or grow dim or dimmer.

   Synonyms:

   fade, dull

verb phrase

1. 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.

idioms

1. take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval, skepticism, or dismay.

   Her mother takes a dim view of her choice of friends.

dim. ² American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) one-half.

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dim. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. dimension.

2. diminish.

3. diminuendo.

4. diminutive.

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dim British  

/ dɪm /

adjective

1. badly illuminated

   a dim room

2. not clearly seen; indistinct; faint

   a dim shape

3. having weak or indistinct vision

   eyes dim with tears

4. lacking in understanding; mentally dull

5. not clear in the mind; obscure

   a dim memory

6. lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustre

   a dim colour

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

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verb

1. to become or cause to become dim

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

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip.  (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam

dim More Idioms  

1. see take a dim view.

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Usage

What does dim mean? Dim describes something as lacking light or having a weak brightness, as in a dim flashlight or a dim tunnel. Dim also describes things that are unclear, because of poor visibility, a weak understanding, or a more general lack of clarity, as in a dim shape in the distance, a dim noise, or a dim knowledge of math. Dim also describes having weak or poor vision, as in Jane’s eyes were dim with tears. Dim can be used to mean lacking mental ability or having low intelligence. However, this is almost always considered insulting. As a verb, dim means to make something dim or less bright, as in He dimmed the lights. It can also be used to mean to grow dim or dimmer, as in The noise of the engine dimmed as the car drove out of sight. Example: Although the tunnel was dim, the faint candlelight guided the miner back to the surface.

Related Words

See dark.

Other Word Forms

• dimly
  adverb
• dimmable
  adjective
• dimness
  noun
• undim
  adjective
• undimly
  adverb
• undimmed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dim¹

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

Origin of dim.²

From the Latin word dīmidius

Explanation

Dim has several meanings related to a lack of light, hope, or knowledge. A room that is not well lit is dim, a slow thinker is dim, and when life looks hopeless, your prospects are dim. To dim a light is to dull it, like by putting a shade over it. A vague idea without a lot of specifics is also dim, since it's hard to see or understand the idea. Someone who's not very bright is dim or a dimwit. When things are hopeless, they're dim too. For example, if a football team is losing by fifty points, their chances of winning are dim.

Example Sentences

Sartorius Stedim Biotech DIM 5.18%increase; green up pointing triangle —which is separately listed in France and majority owned by Sartorius—climbed 5.9%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Image: Bungie Until now, DIM has been available through browsers or on your mobile device, but fairly recently, an app for the Elgato Stream Deck by user Francesco Saverio Cannizzaro has upped the ante.

From The Verge • Jul. 20, 2022

While inventive players have integrated DIM with their Stream Deck before, the process required complicated workarounds involving multiple macro strings, but this app makes the process much easier.

From The Verge • Jul. 20, 2022

In fact, this tool has become so widely used that opening your vault in Destiny has a disclaimer that you should use DIM instead of attempting to manage your piles of loot in-game.

From The Verge • Jul. 20, 2022

She tried giving Ainsley diindolylmethane, or DIM, a supplement that may or may not help a body balance its hormones.

From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2012

Related Words

• blurred
• cloudy
• dark
• dingy
• dull
• faint
• fuzzy
• gloomy
• lackluster
• murky
• shadowy
• vague