dimmer

[dim-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dimmer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that dims.

Also called dimmer switch. a rheostat or similar device by which the intensity of an electric light may be varied.

dimmers,

the low-beam headlights of an automobile or truck.
the small, parking lights of an automobile.

Origin of dimmer

First recorded in 1815–25; dim + -er¹

dim

[dim]

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.

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

Related formsdim·ly, adverbdim·ma·ble, adjectivedim·ness, nounun·dim, adjectiveun·dim·ly, adverbun·dimmed, adjective

Synonyms for dim

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dim ON THESAURUS.COM

3. unclear, faint, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, hazy. 10. darken, cloud. 12. dull, fade.

Synonym study

1. See dark.

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

Related Words for dimmer

dingy, lackluster, murky, shadowy, faint, cloudy, dark, gloomy, fuzzy, dull, vague, blurred, depressing, somber, stupid, gray, dusk, overcast, faded, obscured

Examples from the Web for dimmer

Contemporary Examples of dimmer

Vaccination works more like a light with a dimmer than an on-off switch, said Slifka.
A Fully Vaccinated Woman Contracted and Then Spread Measles. WTF?
Elizabeth Lopatto
April 15, 2014
Make sure you choose a dimmer manufacturer who provides readily-accessible information on compatible lamps and dimmers.
The Light Bulb Is Dead. Long Live the Light Bulb!
Ethan Biery
December 20, 2013
But the hopes of arriving anywhere else have never been dimmer.
Half-Baked Treaty Deal Could Lead to Collapse of Euro Zone
Felix Salmon
December 9, 2011

Historical Examples of dimmer

Her vision was dimmer and her spirit at times withdrawn, remote.
A Daughter of the Middle Border
Hamlin Garland
Little by little, the image of the Woman grew dimmer and dimmer.
The Lock And Key Library
Various
The greater the distance the dimmer this confined air appears.
From Pole to Pole
Sven Anders Hedin
Sometimes it is smaller and dimmer; then the Gone Ones rest and sleep.
Oomphel in the Sky
Henry Beam Piper
The light got poorer and dimmer and there was a shorter lasting of it.
The Best Short Stories of 1915
Various

British Dictionary definitions for dimmer

dimmer

noun

a device, such as a rheostat, for varying the current through an electric light and thus changing the illumination

(often plural) US

a dipped headlight on a road vehicle
a parking light on a car

dim

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 Formsdimly, 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

Word Origin and History for dimmer

1822, agent noun from dim (v.). Of mechanisms for reducing the brightness of electric lights, from 1905.

dim

c.1200, perhaps in Old English, from dim (adj.). Related: Dimmed; dimming.

dim

adj.

Old English dimm "dark, gloomy, obscure," from Proto-Germanic *dimbaz (cf. Old Norse dimmr, Old Frisian dim, Old High German timber "dark, black, somber"). Not known outside Germanic. Slang sense of "stupid" is from 1892. Related: Dimly; dimness.

Idioms and Phrases with dimmer

dim

see take a dim view.