dis

¹ American  

[dees] / dis /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

plural

disir

1. lady; woman.

2. female deity, especially one promoting fertility: often used as a suffix on names.

   Freydis; Hjordis; Thordis.

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dis ² American  

[dis] / dɪs /

verb (used with object)

dissed, dissing

1. to show disrespect for; affront.

2. to disparage; belittle.

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noun

1. insult or disparagement; criticism.

Dis ³ American  

[dis] / dɪs /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. a god of the underworld.

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DIS ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Trademark.

1. the Disney Channel: a cable television channel.

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dis- ⁵ American  

1. a Latin prefix meaning “apart,” “asunder,” “away,” “utterly,” or having a privative, negative, or reversing force (de-,un- ); used freely, especially with these latter senses, as an English formative.

   disability; disaffirm; disbar; disbelief; discontent; dishearten; dislike; disown.

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dis- ⁶ American  

1. variant of di- before s: dissyllable.

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dis. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. distance.

2. distant.

3. distribute.

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dis- ¹ British  

prefix

1. indicating reversal

   disconnect

   disembark

2. indicating negation, lack, or deprivation

   dissimilar

   distrust

   disgrace

3. indicating removal or release

   disembowel

   disburden

4. expressing intensive force

   dissever

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Dis ² British  

/ dɪs /

noun

1. Also called: Orcus.   Pluto.  the Roman god of the underworld

2. the abode of the dead; underworld

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dis- ³ British  

combining form

1. variant of di- 1

   dissyllable

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dis ⁴ British  

/ dɪs /

verb

1. a variant spelling of diss

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Usage

What does dis mean? Dis means to disrespect, belittle, or disparage something or someone, usually publicly, as in Zuhair dissed Jamal by telling him his hair looked awful.Dissing someone isn’t a nice thing to do. It means you’re showing them disrespect by insulting them. A dis can be something hurtful you say or something hurtful you do, like crossing the street when you bump into a former friend.Example: You’re always dissing that guy, but he isn’t that bad.

Etymology

Origin of dis¹

< Old Norse dīs, plural dīsir; origin uncertain

Origin of dis²

1980–85, from dis- ¹ extracted from such words as disrespect and disparage

Origin of dis-⁵

< Latin (akin to bis, Greek dís twice); before f, dif-; before some consonants, di-; often replacing obsolete des- < Old French

Example Sentences

No dis, but I was fortunate enough to meet women in other ways.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2025

"I guess I jest gwyne set dese old bones down on dis heah porch and watch out for dat noise 'gin" says Jim.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2024

Dre's Ni'Jah zealotry could easily refer to Nicki Minaj's Barbz army or Swifties, or anyone wrought to a frenzy by the mildest dis of their celebrity fixation.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2023

It simply winds Beck up, places him in unlikely scenarios — cooking a steak, dancing the tango, recording a dis track — and watches him gulp for air.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2021

“Yeah, but none uh all dis you see and you’se settin’ on wasn’t here neither, when he come.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

Related Words

• belittle
• decry
• defame
• degrade
• denigrate
• deride
• discredit
• dismiss
• malign
• ridicule
• scorn
• slander
• underrate
• vilify