dun

[ duhn ]

See synonyms for: dun dunned dunning duns on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),dunned, dun·ning.

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

noun

a person, especially a creditor, who duns another.
a demand for payment, especially a written one.

Origin of dun

First recorded in 1620–30; origin obscure

Other definitions for dun (2 of 2)

dun²

[ duhn ]

adjective

dull, grayish brown.
dark; gloomy.

noun

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

mayfly (def. 1).
Angling. dun fly.

Origin of dun

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”

Other words from dun

dunness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dun in a sentence

Dunning urged an amendment to prevent any abuse of the act; and North, always averse from violent measures, accepted his proposal.
The Political History of England - Vol. X. | William Hunt
After an animated debate, led by Dunning in opposition, the Bill passed the Commons by a vote of more than three to one.
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Vol. 1 of 2 | Egerton Ryerson
I am impatient to receive your approbation of Dunning's Bill.
Memoirs of the Courts and Cabinets of George the Third | The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
Ten thousand pounds are wanting to establish him—we cannot raise the money amongst us, without dunning poor Mr. Vincent.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10) | Maria Edgeworth
"If they win it will come from Collingwood's shallying about," asserted "Deacon" Dunning, who had just joined the group.
Frank Merriwell's Races | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for dun (1 of 2)

dun¹

/ (dʌn) /

verbduns, dunning or dunned

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

noun

a person, esp a hired agent, who importunes another for the payment of a debt
a demand for payment, esp one in writing

Origin of dun

C17: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for dun (2 of 2)

dun²

/ (dʌn) /

noun

a brownish-grey colour
a horse of this colour

angling
- an immature adult mayfly (the subimago), esp one of the genus Ephemera
- an artificial fly imitating this or a similar fly

adjectivedunner or dunnest

of a dun colour
dark and gloomy

Origin of dun

Old English dunn; related to Old Norse dunna wild duck, Middle Irish doun dark; see dusk

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

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