dim

1 of 4

adjective

ˈdim 

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

ˈdi-mə-bəl 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• darkened
• dark
• murky
• dimmed

Verb

• obscure
• darken
• blur

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

Dōgon is alluringly dim and powered by an army of attentive servers. —The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025

The bidirectional vehicle, with an identical front and rear, is also packed with sensors, including eight laser lidars; 10 radar units; 18 cameras; eight microphones (to hear emergency vehicles); and four thermal cameras to detect humans and animals in murky weather, dim lighting and fog. —Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Verb

By the mid-1930s, however, Husseini’s influence was dimming. —Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

By winter, that flame had dimmed. —Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025

Noun

The lights dim, music rises, and the room bursts into vibrant motion. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

And as his star rises and Berezovsky’s dims, the billionaire becomes an unlikely revolutionary. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2024

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

Phrases Containing dim

• dim bulb
• dim sum
• dim view
• dim-witted
• take a dim view
• take a dim view of
• takes a dim view
• the dim and distant past

Rhymes for dim

• brim
• clim
• grim
• gym
• him
• hymn
• im
• limb
• mim
• prim
• rim
• scrim

Kids Definition

dim

1 of 2 adjective

ˈdim 

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