dun

¹ American  

[duhn] / dʌn /

verb (used with object)

dunned, dunning

1. to make repeated and insistent demands upon, especially for the payment of a debt.

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noun

1. a person, especially a creditor, who duns another.

2. a demand for payment, especially a written one.

dun ² American  

[duhn] / dʌn /

adjective

1. dull, grayish brown.

2. dark; gloomy.

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noun

1. a dun color.

2. a dun-colored horse with a black mane and tail.

3. mayfly.

4. Angling. dun fly.

dun ¹ British  

/ dʌn /

noun

1. a brownish-grey colour

2. a horse of this colour

3. angling

   1. an immature adult mayfly (the subimago), esp one of the genus Ephemera

   2. an artificial fly imitating this or a similar fly

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adjective

1. of a dun colour

2. dark and gloomy

dun ² British  

/ dʌn /

verb

1. (tr) to press or importune (a debtor) for the payment of a debt

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noun

1. a person, esp a hired agent, who importunes another for the payment of a debt

2. a demand for payment, esp one in writing

Other Word Forms

• dunness noun

Etymology

Origin of dun¹

First recorded in 1620–30; origin obscure

Origin of dun²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English don, dun(ne), Old English dun; cognate with Old Saxon dun; probably of Celtic origin; compare Irish donn “dark,” Welsh dwnn “brownish”

Explanation

Use the adjective dun for something that’s a dusty grey brown color, like a dun cow, or the dun entry rug that used to be white. The noun and adjective forms of dun all relate to color. It probably comes from German roots, and may be related to the word dusk, as a dun color has a dull quality that you might associate with dusk or fading light. A dun horse is called a Dun. As a verb, to dun means to attempt to collect an overdue bill. You might dun your brother for that $10 he owes you from 3 months ago.

Example Sentences

But developers won’t know it until state officials dun them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

One of this crew, no surprise, ends up dead before the night is over, and an unusually somber Poirot must figure out whodunit, before he himself gets dun.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 13, 2023

“Darlin’,” President Uma Thurman says, “yew’ve dun some pretty stupid things in yur day, buh this …”

From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2023

So you neither had to put his name on the card nor should you dun him for a contribution of his own, unless he is so moved.

From Washington Post • Jun. 21, 2022

An old white man in a gray coat trotted by on a dun horse.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• black
• cloudy
• darkened
• dim
• dingy
• drab
• dull
• foggy
• gloomy
• misty
• murky
• overcast
• shadowy
• somber