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dumdum

1 American  
[duhm-duhm] / ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

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


dumdum 2 American  
[duhm-duhm] / ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

  1. dum-dum.


dumdum British  
/ ˈdʌmˌdʌm /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of dumdum

First recorded in 1895–1900; named after Dum-Dum, town in India where the bullets were made

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Here comes the dumdum who had no idea what we were saying.

From Time • Oct. 11, 2016

Rowan is still the smart one, and Martin is correctly addressed as a dingaling, a dumdum and a dodo.

From Time Magazine Archive

He’d heard the word so often—mostly from Maria—he’d thought it was only a swear word, like dumdum or cootie face.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

A product of modern society who has for her motto "Dimuendo contralto dumdum," which means, "She who cooks and runs away will live to cook another day."

From The Silly Syclopedia by Lott, Noah [pseud.]

The stories of the effects of the Throg's dumdum weapon were anything but pretty.

From Storm Over Warlock by Norton, Andre

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