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dumb down

British  

verb

  1. (tr) to make or become less intellectually demanding or sophisticated

    attempts to dumb down news coverage

"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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

“He could dumb down the important things,” she said, “so that we would leave the church service or leave the lecture taking something with us.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

"I don't think we should try to dumb down golf to appeal to more people," he said.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2025

This might sound rough, but it’s how I feel: Whoever decided to dumb down the audience did a really good job.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2023

That leaves open the possibility that schools could dumb down the definition of mastery to make sure everyone graduates on time.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2021

I wondered if she was ignoring my question or simply weighing how best to dumb down the answer.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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