dumdum

[duhm-duhm]

See more synonyms for dumdum on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Origin of dumdum

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

Also called dumdum bullet.

dumdum

[duhm-duhm]

noun, adjective

dum-dum.

dum-dum

or dumb-dumb

[duhm-duhm]Slang.

noun

a silly, stupid person.

adjective

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

Origin of dum-dum

apparently reduplication and respelling of dumb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dumdum

dummy, slow, dim, simple, imbecile, pinhead, stupid, touched, dumbbell, dull, subnormal, yo-yo, dumdum, fool, dunce, idiot, goon, dope, blockhead, chump

Examples from the Web for dumdum

Historical Examples of dumdum

The stories of the effects of the Throg's dumdum weapon were anything but pretty.
Storm Over Warlock
Andre Norton
All I could get out of it was that a dumdum bullet had smashed his right shinbone.
Men in War
Andreas Latzko
Another large poster appeared in all parts of the town stating that the British had been convicted of using Dumdum bullets.
Wounded and a Prisoner of War
Malcolm V. (Malcolm Vivian) Hay
March 8—British charge that German dumdum bullets were found after a recent battle in Egypt.
New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 2, May, 1915
Various
The Declaration concerning expanding (dumdum) bullets; see below, 112.
International Law. A Treatise. Volume II (of 2)
Lassa Francis Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for dumdum

dumdum

noun

a soft-nosed or hollow-nosed small-arms bullet that expands on impact and inflicts extensive lacerationAlso called: dumdum bullet

Word Origin for dumdum

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