dim.

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) one-half.

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dim. ² American  

abbreviation

1. dimension.

2. diminish.

3. diminuendo.

4. diminutive.

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dim ³ American  

[dim] / dɪm /

adjective

dimmer, dimmest

1. not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light.

   a dim room; a dim flashlight.

2. not seen clearly or in detail; indistinct.

   a dim object in the distance.

3. not clear to the mind; vague.

   a dim idea.

   Synonyms:

   hazy, fuzzy, indistinct, indefinite, faint, unclear

4. not brilliant; dull in luster.

   a dim color.

5. not clear or distinct to the senses; faint.

   a dim sound.

6. not seeing clearly.

   eyes dim with tears.

7. tending to be unfavorable; not likely to happen, succeed, be favorable, etc..

   a dim chance of winning.

8. not understanding clearly.

9. rather stupid; dim-witted.

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verb (used with object)

dimmed, dimming

1. to make dim or dimmer.

   Synonyms:

   cloud, darken

2. to switch (the headlights of a vehicle) from the high to the low beam.

verb (used without object)

dimmed, dimming

1. to become or grow dim or dimmer.

   Synonyms:

   fade, dull

verb phrase

1. dim out (in wartime) to reduce the night illumination of (a city, ship, etc.) to make it less visible from the air or sea, as a protection from enemy aircraft or ships.

idioms

1. take a dim view of, to regard with disapproval, skepticism, or dismay.

   Her mother takes a dim view of her choice of friends.

dim British  

/ dɪm /

adjective

1. badly illuminated

   a dim room

2. not clearly seen; indistinct; faint

   a dim shape

3. having weak or indistinct vision

   eyes dim with tears

4. lacking in understanding; mentally dull

5. not clear in the mind; obscure

   a dim memory

6. lacking in brilliance, brightness, or lustre

   a dim colour

7. tending to be unfavourable; gloomy or disapproving (esp in the phrase take a dim view )

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verb

1. to become or cause to become dim

2. (tr) to cause to seem less bright, as by comparison

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): dip.  (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam

dim More Idioms  

1. see take a dim view.

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Usage

What does dim mean? Dim describes something as lacking light or having a weak brightness, as in a dim flashlight or a dim tunnel. Dim also describes things that are unclear, because of poor visibility, a weak understanding, or a more general lack of clarity, as in a dim shape in the distance, a dim noise, or a dim knowledge of math. Dim also describes having weak or poor vision, as in Jane’s eyes were dim with tears. Dim can be used to mean lacking mental ability or having low intelligence. However, this is almost always considered insulting.As a verb, dim means to make something dim or less bright, as in He dimmed the lights. It can also be used to mean to grow dim or dimmer, as in The noise of the engine dimmed as the car drove out of sight. Example: Although the tunnel was dim, the faint candlelight guided the miner back to the surface.

Related Words

See dark.

Other Word Forms

• dimly adverb
• dimmable adjective
• dimness noun
• undim adjective
• undimly adverb
• undimmed adjective

Etymology

Origin of dim.¹

From the Latin word dīmidius

Origin of dim¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English dim ( me ), cognate with Old Frisian dim, Old Norse dimmr

Example Sentences

The Olivier Awards organisation, which recognise excellence in theatre, said West End theatres would dim their lights for two minutes at 19:00 BST on 2 December to remember the playwright.

From BBC

While luxe vacations and private schooling give children clues that they are wealthy, many families don’t share their true net worths, fearful of spoiling them or dimming their motivation to earn.

From The Wall Street Journal

But unfortunately you still can’t dim the light and turn down the heat without affecting the people around you if you’re working in an open space.

From The Wall Street Journal

It could further enable the spread of “dark factories,” with operations so automated that work happens around the clock with the lights dimmed.

From The Wall Street Journal

A dim light several meters away guided the hatchlings forward, mimicking the glow over the ocean that turtles instinctively follow.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• blurred
• cloudy
• dark
• dingy
• dull
• faint
• fuzzy
• gloomy
• lackluster
• murky
• shadowy
• vague