down in the dumps

1. In a gloomy or depressed mood: “After losing the student election, Jack really felt down in the dumps.”

Idioms and Phrases

Also, down in the mouth . Discouraged, depressed, or sad, as in She's been down in the dumps ever since she lost the match , or What's wrong with him? He's so down in the mouth about everything . The noun dumps has been used for “a state of depression” since the early 1500s, and down in the mouth , alluding to the downturned corners of the mouth as a sign of misery, dates from the mid-1600s.

Example Sentences

Cleaning shouldn’t leave you down in the dumps.

From Seattle Times

He was really down in the dumps for a lot of his life and what he managed to do was really remarkable.

From Salon

“I was kind of down in the dumps for a little while, honestly.”

From Los Angeles Times

These poll results, reiterated endlessly on the air and on newspaper pages tend to feed on themselves: If everyone else is down in the dumps, why should you feel any differently?

From Los Angeles Times

Mark Roberts took over Wrexham Lager in 2011 when it was "down in the dumps."

From BBC

Related Words

• cranky
• dour
• gloomy
• glum
• grouchy
• melancholy
• mournful
• sad
• sullen
• surly
• testy
• ugly