dimple
Americannoun
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dimples
plural
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a small, natural hollow area or crease, permanent or transient, in some soft part of the human body, especially one formed in the cheek in smiling.
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any similar slight depression.
verb (used with object)
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dimples,
present (3rd person singular)
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dimpled,
past participle, past
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dimpling
present participle
-
to mark with or as if with dimples; produce dimples in.
A smile dimpled her face.
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Metalworking.
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to dent (a metal sheet) so as to permit use of bolts or rivets with countersunk heads.
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to mark (a metal object) with a drill point as a guide for further drilling.
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verb (used without object)
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dimples,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dimpled,
past participle, past
-
dimpling
present participle
noun
-
a small natural dent or crease in the flesh, esp on the cheeks or chin
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any slight depression in a surface
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a bubble or dent in glass
verb
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to make or become dimpled
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(intr) to produce dimples by smiling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dimplesimple
-
dimplessimple
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have dimpledperfect
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has dimpledperfect
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am dimplingprogressive
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are dimplingprogressive
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is dimplingprogressive
-
have been dimplingperfect progressive
-
has been dimplingperfect progressive
Past
-
dimpledsimple
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had dimpledperfect
-
was dimplingprogressive
-
were dimplingprogressive
-
had been dimplingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dimple
1350–1400; Middle English dimpel, Old English *dympel; cognate with German Tümpel pool
Explanation
A dimple is a small indentation in a surface. A dimple on your cheek is cute, but a dimple on your car door is not so cute. A dimple can be an imperfection or tiny dent, but it's often a little cleft in a person's cheek or chin. People whose dimples show when they smile are particularly charming, and a dimpled chin is often considered quite handsome. One theory of the word's origin is that it meant "pothole" in Old English, from a Proto-Germanic root.
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.
See Examples For:
Mary noticed a breast dimple in early 2023.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
"That is a pimple on a dimple on an ant's left cheek compared to what we need in the world," Banga said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 26, 2023
Chances are, the photos will show the waves in his dark hair and the dimple that emerges when he smiles.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
Over the next 90 minutes, I witnessed this chain reaction dozens of times: Trill, dimple, repeat.
From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2022
I squeezed one cheek with my finger and forced a dimple.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Was Mr Belding your dimples karaoke birthday buddy?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The hair got less curly, the dimples less squishy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Lorna said she thinks about Chelsea's "big smile and dimples" in moments of sadness.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Shaped like the human form and available in four body types, CTOAN’s designs feature rolls and butt dimples, top surgery scars, and stretch marks.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
The Owner positioned himself directly in front of the suitcase, ran his fingers over the three dimples by the left clasp.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
Since Deutch’s first lead role in the undervalued 2014 “Twilight” piggybacker “Vampire Academy,” her screen presence has been 15-going-on-45: a dimpled ingenue with the confident patter of a Preston Sturges heroine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
With a dimpled smile and a halo of salt-and-pepper curls, she looks like the type of person you want to talk to when your life is a mess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Mr. Close, soft-spoken and warm with a dimpled smile, was raised in Collyweston, with family roots that go back 400 years here.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2024
Perched atop the joints is a dimpled silicone membrane.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2024
Laila loved the moist kisses Zalmai planted on her cheeks, loved his dimpled elbows and stout litde toes.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Unlike many other breast cancers, she said symptoms could include itching, tingling, pulling sensations, dimpling or changes to the skin rather than a distinct lump.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
When he looked under a microscope, he saw small suckers dimpling the rock.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2022
After setting the bread in your pan and dimpling your dough, drizzle the infused olive oil on top before baking.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2021
In the bowels of the jet, technicians have to remove multiple specialty fasteners on both sides of the inner fuselage skin, then install newly produced “shims” that fill out gaps and remove the structural dimpling.
From Reuters ● Feb. 25, 2021
All around me heavy drops of fresh water plopped loudly and wastefully into the sea, dimpling its surface.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
