dwarf
Americannoun
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dwarves,
plural
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dwarfs
plural
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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.
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an animal or plant much smaller than the average of its kind or species.
- Synonyms:
- runt
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(in folklore) a being in the form of a small, often misshapen man, usually having magic powers.
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Astronomy. dwarf star.
adjective
verb (used with object)
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dwarfs,
present (3rd person singular)
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dwarfed,
past participle, past
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dwarfing
present participle
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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.
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to make dwarf or dwarfish; prevent the due development of.
verb (used without object)
-
dwarfs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dwarfed,
past participle, past
-
dwarfing
present participle
noun
-
an abnormally undersized person, esp one with a large head and short arms and legs Compare midget
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an animal or plant much below the average height for the species
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( as modifier )
a dwarf tree
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(in folklore) a small ugly manlike creature, often possessing magical powers
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astronomy short for dwarf star
verb
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to become or cause to become comparatively small in size, importance, etc
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(tr) to stunt the growth of
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An abnormally small person, often having limbs and features atypically proportioned or formed.
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An atypically small animal or plant.
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A dwarf star or dwarf galaxy.
Sensitive Note
Is it OK to say dwarf? See midget.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dwarfishnessnoun
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dwarfnessnoun
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dwarfishadjective
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dwarflikeadjective
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undwarfedadjective
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dwarfishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dwarfsimple
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dwarfssimple
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have dwarfedperfect
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has dwarfedperfect
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am dwarfingprogressive
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are dwarfingprogressive
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is dwarfingprogressive
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have been dwarfingperfect progressive
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has been dwarfingperfect progressive
Past
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dwarfedsimple
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had dwarfedperfect
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was dwarfingprogressive
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were dwarfingprogressive
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had been dwarfingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dwarf
First recorded before 900; Middle English dwerf, Old English dweorh; replacing Middle English dwerg, Old English dweorg; cognate with Old High German twerg, Old Norse dvergr
Explanation
An unusually short, small person is sometimes called a dwarf. There are many different genetic medical conditions that can cause a person to be classified as a little person or a dwarf. Some people are offended by dwarf, preferring to be called "little people," "LP," or "people of short stature." The general condition that leads to delayed growth is called "dwarfism." The noun dwarf is also used for an unusually small animal or plant, or as a verb meaning "make something seem very small," as when a new apartment building dwarfs the surrounding houses. The Old English root dweorg referred to a tiny creature from German mythology.
Vocabulary lists containing dwarf
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.
See Examples For:
RXJ0528+2838 is a white dwarf, the leftover core of a dying low-mass star, and it is orbited by a Sun-like companion.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026
The survey examined 29 massive stars spread across six local dwarf galaxies.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
At that height, the structure would dwarf the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial nearby and be half as high as the Washington Monument.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Rate increases won’t produce more crude oil or slow an AI build-out that is largely insensitive to borrowing costs, since the capital is committed and expected returns dwarf what a quarter point changes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
While Gwystyl eagerly rummaged through the alcove, the dwarf drew a deep breath and flickered out of sight.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
This dwarfs the $130bn of total EU-Canada bilateral trade during the same timeframe.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
That his residency now dwarfs, in sheer scale, the fight-night masculinity the same building helped crown is not a coincidence I am willing to let pass quietly.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
A production forecast at Cannington of 290,000 tons dwarfs Jefferies’ 206,000-ton estimate, it says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“The issue with the U.S. is that the size of the Treasury market dwarfs the combined size of the Japanese, U.K., E.U. and other countries in Asia.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The most ingenious craftsmen of them all, he decided, were the three dwarfs known as the sons of Ivaldi.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Named Erebor, after the mountain where the dwarves stored their treasure and which the dragon took over in J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” that new bank won a preliminary regulatory approval Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
In his estimation, it may be enough that it exists to contradict future generations' misguided aggressors from claiming his heroes – elves, dwarves and men led by Aragorn, son of Arathorn, represented them.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2023
There's also a debate over the fate of the seven dwarves, after unofficial images emerged of what have now been billed as seven "magical creatures".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2023
Its £169,950 asking price dwarves the £200 her parents paid for it.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2023
Kinko sits a few tables over, with three other dwarves and Queenie at his feet.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Lutnick’s filing is dwarfed by that of Trump, whose last annual ethics filing this summer disclosed more than $2 billion of income, largely from crypto and real-estate companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
It is dwarfed by the passenger ferries in the background.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
While Irish farmers did export some food to Britain, "it was dwarfed by the amount being brought in for distribution by the UK government", he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Anything Blatter spent, though, has been dwarfed by the funds Infantino promised this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Even from a distance, I can see he’s dwarfed by the largest ghost shrimp I’ve seen so far, approaching next to him.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Tall, gaunt and calculating, Wagoner’s angles had angles, but somehow standing next to her, his pompadour dwarfing her considerable bouffant, it worked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
The old computer-software index showed prices rising at a record 17% yearly pace, dwarfing any prior increase.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Middleton has spent more than $16 million of his own money on the race so far, dwarfing any of his previous political spending many times over.
From Salon ● May 23, 2026
Declines, however, left both funds with sky-high yields of 11% and 13%, dwarfing the Schwab U.S.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
He reached the foot of the stairs and stood there winking, his bulk dwarfing the boy, who was thin as a reed.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
