dim

adjective

\ ˈdim

dimmer; dimmest

Definition of dim

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : 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

2a : 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 : not perceiving clearly and distinctly dim eyes

4 : dim-witted too dim to understand the joke

dim

verb

dimmed; dimming

Definition of dim (Entry 2 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to make dim or lusterless dimmed their hopes of an early settlement

2 : to reduce the light from dim the headlights

intransitive verb

: to become dim the lights dimmed their beauty had dimmed

dim

noun

Definition of dim (Entry 3 of 4)

1 archaic : dusk, dimness

2 automotive vehicles : low beam

dim

abbreviation

Definition of dim (Entry 4 of 4)

1 dimension

2 diminished

3 diminuendo

4 diminutive

Other Words from dim Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about dim

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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

But future events such as Labor Day, New Year's Eve and the 2020 Fourth of July may be dimmer if these tariffs are implemented, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA). — Madeline Purdue, USA TODAY, "This holiday could fizzle if the US-China trade war blows up," 19 June 2019 Stars are dim here, so there’s less risk of Brown’s nightmare scenario. — Quanta Magazine, "Why Can’t We Find Planet Nine?," 3 July 2018 Many observers take a dimmer view of the six-month-old talks, saying little progress has been made and the negotiations are stalled over issues such as autos. — David Lawder, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump orders tariffs on steel and aluminum that initially exempt Canada and Mexico," 8 Mar. 2018 Others who have followed the agency offered a dimmer view. — David Jensen, sacbee, "Will California's $3 billion in stem cell spending pay off? First royalty check arrives," 1 Mar. 2018 Yet campaign aides feel confident of his re-election chances, mostly because of their dim view of the Democratic field. — Maggie Haberman, New York Times, "Trump, at Rally in Florida, Kicks Off His 2020 Re-election Bid," 18 June 2019 Eventually, the cataract will begin to obscure your eyesight, making images blurry, clouded or dim. — Amir Khan, sun-sentinel.com, "Surgery to treat cataract can wait if vision hasn’t been affected yet," 6 June 2019 White dwarfs, being small and dim, are not the easiest of things to observe. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Two white dwarfs collide, may end up as neutron star," 29 May 2019 Barnard’s star is also a very small and dim type of star known as a red dwarf. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "A cold ‘super-Earth’ may live around a nearby star," 14 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Eventually, the Sun will start dimming over Chile at 3:22PM ET, with the first totality occurring over land at 4:38PM ET. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "How to watch today’s total solar eclipse if you’re not in a small portion of South America," 2 July 2019 Although the novelty of their interactions has dimmed after two summit meetings over the past 12 months, the DMZ is considered one of the world’s most dangerous border areas. — Michael Crowley, New York Times, "Trump’s Offer to Say ‘Hello’ to Kim at DMZ Carries Risks and Rewards for Both," 29 June 2019 While Laila has a very rare, life-threatening blood disorder, her superfan passion for the Blues never dimmed through months of chemotherapy and home confinement this spring. — Dean Reynolds, CBS News, "St. Louis Blues superfan celebrates Stanley Cup win with her favorite team," 14 June 2019 Introducing Libra right now shows us incontrovertibly that Zuckerberg’s ambitions have not even remotely dimmed. — Molly Wood, WIRED, "Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency Betrays the Company’s True Ambitions," 26 June 2019 However, the positions appear hardened, dimming the hopes for a last-minute deal. — Avantika Chilkoti, WSJ, "Nestlé, Novartis Among Companies at Risk of London Trading Ban," 25 June 2019 Barbara, my dance friend Gloria’s mom who treated me like a daughter during long rehearsals, did my eyebrows for the first time, and had a sparkle in her eyes that taught me what light can never be dimmed. — Harmonyholiday, Longreads, "Mama Looks for Melanin," 6 June 2019 Suddenly, the lights dimmed and a chanteur in sky-high heels took to the stage. — Vogue, "John Waters Was in His Campy Element at Ballroom Marfa's Spring Celebration," 21 May 2019 In addition, the walls can detect and respond intelligently to the activity of electrical appliances — for example, dimming the lights when a TV is switched on — and sense the presence of people in a room. — David Freeman /, NBC News, "New smart wall lets you control your home with swipes, taps," 25 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Not because our desire for justice dims, but because the chance of achieving it does. — Fox News, "Tucker: Brett Kavanaugh and the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party," 18 Sep. 2018 David would drive to JPL's dim, theater-like mission-control room to get started, and Bryn would find things for the kids to do—taking them on late-night bike rides, to diners and all-night bowling alleys. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: NASA's Crazy, Kooky, Legendary Research Facility," 3 Nov. 2016 From Earth, the immense stone appears as a dim yellow dot. — Fox News, "'Monster' asteroid 4 times than the UK is so close to Earth you can see it - and here's how," 27 June 2018 Our next stop, Golden Paramount, was a different kind of dim-sum experience. — Taras Grescoe, New York Times, "The Best Asian Food in North America? Try British Columbia," 4 June 2018 The house lights dim, an engine roars, and stars flame and flicker out. — New York Times, "Three Journeys Under the Radar: Trippy, Unsettling and Affectionate," 11 Jan. 2018 The real question is much tougher to answer: If LaBeouf’s instability informs his acting, will damping the one dim the other? — Matthew Brookes, Esquire, "Shia LaBeouf Is Ready To Talk About It," 13 Mar. 2018 With hopes for a broad budget agreement dim, Congress is expected to pass yet another short-term stopgap measure despite resistance from Republican deficit hawks and Democrats who want to cut a deal on immigration legislation. — The New York Times, New York Times, "Big U.S. Trade Gap Expected, and European Stimulus Plan at Issue," 4 Feb. 2018 Norwegian programmer and YouTuber Bjørn Nyland highlights an experiment in highway lights that auto-dim when nobody's around. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Highway Lights Save Energy by Dimming When No Cars Are Around," 4 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dim.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.