dwarfing

American  

[dwawr-fing] / ˈdwɔr fɪŋ /

noun

Biology.

1. a process in which an animal breed or plant cultivar is intentionally induced, as by selective breeding and genetic engineering, to produce a breed or cultivar that is significantly smaller than the original: bulldogs and commercial fruit trees are examples of organisms that have been subjected to dwarfing.

---

Etymology

Origin of dwarfing

First recorded in 1620–30; dwarf ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

A successful debut could make him history's first trillionaire, dwarfing other billionaires in the sheer size of his fortune.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

There were more than 323 million visits to America’s national parks in 2025, dwarfing attendance — 135 million — at professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey games combined.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 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

In contrast, the current crisis affects 20% of the world's supplies, "dwarfing the 1970s shock", she said.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Rishi made the first strokes, his hand dwarfing the stub of charcoal pencil that had obviously been sharpened many, many times.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon