dim
[dim]
- 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.
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- to make dim or dimmer.
- to switch (the headlights of a vehicle) from the high to the low beam.
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- to become or grow dim or dimmer.
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- 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.
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- take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval, skepticism, or dismay: Her mother takes a dim view of her choice of friends.
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Origin of dim
before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim(me), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
1. See dark.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dimming
Contemporary Examples
Besides changes in light bulbs, many consumers are showing increased interest in dimming and lighting controls.
Their dimming performance will rarely match that of an incandescent, but it is getting better as the technology improves.
My colleague Lloyd Green wrote last week of “The Sprawling, Dimming Age of Obama.”
Reporters declared it a bomb weeks before its release and blamed Cruise and his dimming appeal to moviegoers.
Historical Examples
Dawn was breaking through the windows and dimming the electric lights.
White FangJack London
His eyes were dimming with tears, and his voice quavered uncertainly.
The Market-PlaceHarold Frederic
Then the light vanished, leaving a dimming glow where it had been.
Space PrisonTom Godwin
Now, from his dimming intelligence the sense of time had slipped away.
The Watchers of the TrailsCharles G. D. Roberts
Her arms were outstretched to the dimming form of Harry and the incandescence.
The Blind SpotAustin Hall
dim
- 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)
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- 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
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Word Origin
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 dimming
dim
v.
c.1200, perhaps in Old English, from dim (adj.). Related: Dimmed; dimming.
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with dimming
dim
see take a dim view.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.