dim

1 of 4

adjective

dimmer; dimmest
1
a
: emitting or having a limited or insufficient amount of light
dim stars
a dim lamp
a dim hallway
b
: dull, lusterless
dim colors
c
: lacking pronounced, clear-cut, or vigorous quality or character
a dim echo of the past
2
a
: seen indistinctly
a dim outline
b
: perceived by the senses or mind indistinctly or weakly : faint
had only a dim notion of what was going on
c
: having little prospect of favorable result or outcome
a dim future
d
: characterized by an unfavorable, skeptical, or pessimistic attitude
usually used in the phrase take a dim view of
takes a dim view of human nature
3
: dim-witted
too dim to understand the joke
4
: not perceiving clearly and distinctly
dim eyes
dimly adverb
dimmable adjective
dimness noun

dim

2 of 4

verb

dimmed; dimming

transitive verb

1
: to reduce the light from
dim the headlights
2
: to make dim or lusterless
dimmed their hopes of an early settlement

intransitive verb

: to become dim
the lights dimmed
their beauty had dimmed

dim

3 of 4

noun

1
automotive vehicles : low beam
2
archaic : dusk, dimness

dim

4 of 4

abbreviation

1
dimension
2
diminished
3
diminuendo
4
diminutive

Examples of dim in a Sentence

Adjective Just the dim outline of the building could be seen through the fog. I have a dim memory of your last visit. Verb The latest setback has dimmed hopes of an early settlement. Hopes of an early settlement have dimmed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Often, digital nomads will have to take video calls in dim lighting or dark rooms, which makes for a grainy and unprofessional-looking picture. Nancy Einhart, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2023 That’s somewhat similar to the iPhone’s Deep Fusion computational photography feature, which compensates for dim lighting by taking several pictures at once within a fraction of a second and blends them together after processing them at the pixel level to pull out lighting, color, and tone detail. Wes Davis, The Verge, 2 Dec. 2023 Good lighting is essential for a productive workspace, so consider installing new light fixtures to brighten up a dim closet. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Nov. 2023 The scientists caught the jellyfish, which are abundant in Norway’s fjords, with fine mesh nets and brought them below deck of their research vessel for study in dim rooms illuminated with red light. Kate Golembiewski, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Advertisement Sixty feet away, in the dim light where the pins stand, those black strings tend to disappear. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 The romance between Rustin and the preacher exists in the shadows — under the dim lights of a nearby bar or behind the blinds in Rustin’s home. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2023 The object will look like a dim light moving through the sky just ahead of the fast-moving and much brighter space station. Sabienna Bowman, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 Whether or not the proposal can fully account for the entire zoo of dim, starless worlds remains to be seen. Quanta Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023
Verb
As compute gets cheaper, faster, and lower power, and storage for the dimming algorithms gets cheaper, more data can be stored, which can be useful to some compensation algorithms. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2023 As the sky dimmed to pitch black, a glowing ring (safely visible through eclipse-viewing glasses) materialized above. Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2023 Riley’s loyalty to Grinch last offseason, more than anything else, is what has dimmed the shine from USC’s one-time savior. J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023 The Air 2 Pro, which starts at $449, will give you one big extra feature: dimming control, an option that uses electrochromatic glass to control how much light is allowed through the glasses, ranging from full transparency to a blackout tint. Adi Robertson, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2023 But an eclipse dims the sun much faster and can do it at an inconvenient time of day. Gregory Barber, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023 Victory would turn him into a big GOP star; defeat would dim those ambitions. Mark Murray, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023 Near-term rain prospects are dim Our forecast for November gently leans toward drier-than-normal conditions persisting. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023 Byrd and Blow’s transformations of the space slow our heartbeats and unify our breathing as the lights dim, and a muted, shifting soundscape envelops the room: the huffing of bison, the thrum of a tractor, the rising and falling surge of an expressway. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2023
Noun
After five minutes of submersion, chances of a rescue dim, said Dr. Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician and director of the Trauma & Injury Prevention Outreach Program at Mass General for Children. Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023 An auto dim feature allows users to sleep without the glow of a bright screen, so your dad can rest peacefully. Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2023 The soundtrack is melancholy and the lighting dim. Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2022 Americans retain their faith in the American dream even as our prospects of upward mobility dim. New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022 The changes come as the city has been trying to decrease violent crime through policing and other methods, such as targeting blighted neighborhoods or areas with dim or no lighting. Dallas News, 9 Nov. 2022 And as fears about the pandemic dim in highly vaccinated countries after the wave of omicron variant infections, attention may be elsewhere. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 Vic describes his wife as petulant, selfish, and a little dim, a spoiled child whose actions add up to little more than animalistic sensation seeking. Katie Rife, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2022 Like the planet Tatooine from Star Wars, two suns — one bright, one dim and red— rise over the horizon of Kepler 47d. Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Middle English, from Old English dimm; akin to Old High German timber dark

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of dim was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dim

Cite this Entry

“Dim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dim. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

dim

1 of 2 adjective
dimmer; dimmest
1
: not bright or clear : obscure, faint
a dim light
2
: being without luster : dull
dim colors
3
a
: not seeing or understanding clearly
dim eyes
b
: not seen or understood clearly
had only a dim notion of what was going on
dimly adverb
dimness noun

dim

2 of 2 verb
dimmed; dimming
1
: to make or become dim
2
: to reduce the light from

Medical Definition

dim

abbreviation
diminished

More from Merriam-Webster on dim

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