dumdum

1
[ duhm-duhm ]
See synonyms for: dumdumdumdums on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a hollow-nosed or soft-nosed bullet that expands on impact, inflicting a severe wound.

Origin of dumdum

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; named after Dum-Dum, town in India where the bullets were made
  • Also called dumdum bullet .

Words Nearby dumdum

Other definitions for dumdum (2 of 3)

dumdum2
[ duhm-duhm ]

noun, adjective

Other definitions for dum-dum (3 of 3)

dum-dum

or dumb-dumb

[ duhm-duhm ]

noun
  1. a silly, stupid person.

adjective
  1. typical of a dum-dum: another dum-dum idea.

Origin of dum-dum

3
Apparently reduplication and respelling of dumb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dumdum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dumdum

dumdum

/ (ˈdʌmˌdʌm) /


noun
  1. a soft-nosed or hollow-nosed small-arms bullet that expands on impact and inflicts extensive laceration: Also called: dumdum bullet

Origin of dumdum

1
C19: named after Dum-Dum, town near Kolkata (Calcutta) where these bullets were made

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