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

Think musky candles, dim lighting, lo-fi jazz and smooth whiskey with a big cube. —Kelly Rook Daly, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025

University of Warwick/Mark Garlick Many of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy are small, dim red dwarfs—stars much smaller than the sun in both size and mass. —Ritsuko Kawai, Wired News, 9 July 2025

Verb

Parents’ hopes were dimming as the days dragged on with no signs of life. —Jon Schuppe, NBC news, 8 July 2025

On the first day of the ESSENCE Film Festival, the lights dimmed and the stories lit up—each one a reminder of the beauty, complexity, and brilliance of Black life on screen. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 6 July 2025

Noun

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

While some golfers only donned solar glasses at the moment of maximum obscurity, others tracked many of their shots through the dim of their commemorative eyewear. —Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 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