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Synonyms

dumps

American  
[duhmps] / dʌmps /

noun

  1. a depressed state of mind (usually preceded byin the ).

    to be in the dumps over money problems.
dumps British  
/ dʌmps /

plural noun

  1. informal a state of melancholy or depression (esp in the phrase down in the dumps )

"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
dumps Idioms  

  1. see down in the dumps.

Etymology

Origin of dumps

1515–25; compare German dumpf dull, Middle Dutch domp haze

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.

Some strategists are particularly excited about technology stocks, which started the year in the dumps but have begun to climb back.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Shares of gold miners have been in the dumps this month, as investors have expressed fears over how the Iran war will tarnish the value of the precious metal.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

In retaliation for propaganda dumps, North Korea in 2024 sent scores of trash-filled balloons to scatter waste across the South.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

It is just one of 517 illegal dumps across England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

Celia dumps a sugar packet in her drink.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.