dumbbell

American  

[duhm-bel] / ˈdʌmˌbɛl /

noun

• dumbbells
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dumbbells
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dumbbell

First recorded in 1705–15; dumb + bell ¹

Explanation

A dumbbell is a type of weight you might see at a gym. You typically lift a dumbbell with one hand — unless it's too heavy and you accidentally drop it on your foot. Ouch! The short, handheld exercise weights are known as dumbbells, while the larger weights that require two hands for lifting are barbells. If you're new to weightlifting, you might want to start doing bicep curls with light dumbbells. The name comes from the bar once used to ring a church bell: dumbbells resemble these ringers, although they're dumb, or "silent." Dumbbell is also used in a derogatory way to mean "stupid person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dumbbell dumbbells

This typically happens during the lowering portion of a movement, such as bringing a dumbbell down, walking downstairs, or slowly lowering yourself into a chair.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026

The Dominicans celebrated home runs by posing with a dumbbell adorned with plantains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 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

Carrasco, 36, was lifting weights before Sunday’s game against Seattle when he set down a 50-pound dumbbell and it flipped over, landing on his pinky, Showalter said before New York played at Washington.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 6, 2023

Mr. Larson holds Sammy over his head like a dumbbell.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Researchers note that free weights, dumbbells, weight machines, and bodyweight exercises such as modified push-ups, wall presses, and knee bends can all help improve strength.

From Science Daily ● May 12, 2026

It could involve kettle bells, dumbbells, walking lunges, pull ups, squatting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

The men's facility featured rows of workout platforms, outfitted with dumbbells, barbells and weights capable of going into the hundreds of pounds.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024

“I was in my lounge/office area in Brooklyn. I actually grabbed some dumbbells that my son had in there for whatever reason,” Wright remembers, pantomiming doing bicep curls at a furious pace.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

Before that the gym here had been an old, dingy room, with a handful of mismatched dumbbells and decaying equipment that looked like it was made about a year after the wheel had been invented.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott