dumbbell

American  

[duhm-bel] / ˈdʌmˌbɛl /

noun

1. a gymnastic apparatus consisting of two wooden or metal balls connected by a short bar serving as a handle, used as a weight for exercising.

2. a stupid person.

   Synonyms:

   dimwit, blockhead, fool, ignoramus, dunce

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dumbbell British  

/ ˈdʌmˌbɛl /

noun

1. gymnastics weightlifting an exercising weight consisting of a single bar with a heavy ball or disc at either end

2. a small wooden object shaped like this used in dog training for the dog to retrieve

3. slang a fool

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Etymology

Origin of dumbbell

First recorded in 1705–15; dumb + bell ¹

Example Sentences

I got a more alarming “bleep” during dumbbell thrusters: “Go deeper so your thighs are closer to parallel.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

“Man, I’ll be seeing his little Instagram posts, the benches, the dumbbell benches. Hey, he can get me whenever he’s ready.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2025

"The dumbbell thus acts a bit like the needle on a compass, allowing us to read off the z coordinate according to its orientation," says Prof. Dr. Dieter Meschede.

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2024

He was injured returning a dumbbell to its rack in Toronto’s weight room.

From Washington Times • Aug. 28, 2023

“First the telephone was ringing and then I hit my leg on the dumbbell and then I failed English, see?”

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers