down in the dumps

Cultural  

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

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down in the dumps Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

down in the dumps

There are also signs that hiring for other tech jobs, particularly in software engineering, aren’t down in the dumps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

Despite the lift on Friday, Ares stock has been down in the dumps, with the shares losing a quarter of their value in the last six months.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

"Morale is already down in the dumps among the base, among members and councillors. How is this going to help?" another Labour figure said.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2025

“Nobody is down in the dumps or anything.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 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

Related Words

• depressed
• dismal
• dour
• forlorn
• glum
• melancholy
• miserable
• pessimistic
• sad
• solemn
• sullen
• ugly