Synonyms

down in the dumps

Cultural

In a gloomy or depressed mood: “After losing the student election, Jack really felt down in the dumps.”

down in the dumps Idioms

Also, down in the mouth. Discouraged, depressed, or sad, as in She's been down in the dumps ever since she lost the match, or What's wrong with him? He's so down in the mouth about everything. The noun dumps has been used for “a state of depression” since the early 1500s, and down in the mouth, alluding to the downturned corners of the mouth as a sign of misery, dates from the mid-1600s.

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.

Cleaning shouldn’t leave you down in the dumps.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2024

He was really down in the dumps for a lot of his life and what he managed to do was really remarkable.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2023

Mark Roberts took over Wrexham Lager in 2011 when it was "down in the dumps."

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2023

“Right now I know he’s down in the dumps, but he’ll be all right,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2023

I thought about how she’d been really quiet lately, like she was down in the dumps.

From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023