dun

¹ American  

[duhn] / dʌn /

verb (used with object)

duns, present (3rd person singular) dunned, past participle, past dunning present participle

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

Derived Forms

• dunness
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has dunned
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have dunned
  perfect
• are dunning
  progressive
• have been dunning
  perfect progressive
• is dunning
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been dunning
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am dunning
  progressive 1st person singular
• duns
  singular 3rd person
• dunning
  participle

Past

• had dunned
  perfect
• were dunning
  progressive plural
• dunned
  participle
• was dunning
  progressive singular
• dunned
  simple
• had been dunning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dun
  simple
• will have dunned
  perfect
• will have been dunning
  perfect progressive
• will be dunning
  progressive

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

Returning to Craigh na Dun on her own, Claire touches the center stone and is transported to 1743, three years before the Jacobite defeat.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Dun ran in next to the posts for a breathtaking try that began five metres out of Bath's try-line after the hosts kicked the ball deep into Bristol territory.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

His work was displayed in European castles and corporate headquarters like Dun & Bradstreet, and at institutions like the American Merchant Marine Museum in Kings Point, N.Y., and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England.

From New York Times • May 1, 2023

On July 30, 2022, the financial data company Dun & Bradstreet estimated that Devolder had revenue of $43,688.

From Washington Post • Jan. 3, 2023

Cohn, I believe, took every word of "The Purple Land" as literally as though it had been an R. G. Dun report.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Related Words

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