dwarf
a person of abnormally small physical stature resulting from a medical or genetic condition, especially a person with achondroplasia or some other disease that produces disproportion or deformation of features and limbs.
an animal or plant much smaller than the average of its kind or species.
(in folklore) a being in the form of a small, often misshapen man, usually having magic powers.
Astronomy. dwarf star.
of unusually small stature or size; diminutive.
to cause to appear or seem small in size, extent, character, etc., as by being much larger or better: He dwarfed all his rivals in athletic ability.
to make dwarf or dwarfish; prevent the due development of.
to become stunted or smaller.
Origin of dwarf
1usage note For dwarf
Other words for dwarf
Opposites for dwarf
Other words from dwarf
- dwarf·like, adjective
- dwarf·ness, noun
- un·dwarfed, adjective
Words Nearby dwarf
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dwarf in a sentence
That’s a heck of a number, considering that Tesla posted a loss of $862 million in 2019, and generated a modest $799 million in free cash flow—a figure dwarfed 462 to 1 by its market cap.
Tesla has a business model problem: It can never justify its current stock price by simply making cars | Shawn Tully | August 29, 2020 | FortuneIt happened on July 14, 2015, when NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew behind dwarf planet Pluto on its way out of the solar system, and there are no plans for it to happen ever again.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side | Corey S. Powell | August 26, 2020 | NautilusA different type, red dwarfs, outnumber all other stars put together.
One international group of scientists is already proposing a mission called Calathus that would collect a sample from Ceres’s Occator crater to help assess how habitable the dwarf planet really is.
The 5 best places to explore in the solar system—besides Mars | Neel Patel | August 17, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewWhether or not competitive eaters ever reach that limit, the scale of improvement “completely dwarfs other athletic achievements,” Smoliga says.
Competitive hot dog eaters may be nearing humans’ max eating speed | Jonathan Lambert | July 14, 2020 | Science News
Another group of mistletoes, dwarf mistletoes, does things a bit differently.
“dwarf mistletoe is freaky, freaky, freaky stuff,” says David Watson, an ecologist at Charles Sturt University in Australia.
And he was followed by each one of them until the seventh dwarf looked at his bed and saw Little Snow White lying there asleep.
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her | The Brothers Grimm | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe city is incredibly violent for its size, on par with metropolises that dwarf the town.
If they succeed, their dismantling of the ACA will dwarf everything else that has happened in our era.
Conservatives Find Typo in Obamacare, Try to Kill People With It | Michael Tomasky | July 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe third night, it being Christmas, this same dwarf returned to the chamber where I slept.
Honey-Bee | Anatole FranceThe dwarf who had watched her came back again on his raven followed this time by a crowd of little men.
Honey-Bee | Anatole FranceThese dwarf trees are very prevalent in their gardens, and preferred to the most magnificent and shady trees of a natural size.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferAnd having embraced the venerable dwarf, he emerged out of the well roaring with laughter.
Honey-Bee | Anatole FranceMusa was swinging from his saddle, and grasping in no gentle grip the cloak of the dwarf Zeyneb.
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
British Dictionary definitions for dwarf
/ (dwɔːf) /
an abnormally undersized person, esp one with a large head and short arms and legs: Compare midget
an animal or plant much below the average height for the species
(as modifier): a dwarf tree
(in folklore) a small ugly manlike creature, often possessing magical powers
astronomy short for dwarf star
to become or cause to become comparatively small in size, importance, etc
(tr) to stunt the growth of
Origin of dwarf
1Derived forms of dwarf
- dwarfish, adjective
- dwarfishly, adverb
- dwarfishness, noun
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
Scientific definitions for dwarf
[ dwôrf ]
An abnormally small person, often having limbs and features atypically proportioned or formed.
An atypically small animal or plant.
A dwarf star or dwarf galaxy.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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