dim

adjective

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\ 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 : dim-witted too dim to understand the joke

4 : not perceiving clearly and distinctly dim eyes

dim

verb

dimmed; dimming

Definition of dim (Entry 2 of 4)

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

noun

Definition of dim (Entry 3 of 4)

1 automotive vehicles : low beam

2 archaic : dusk, dimness

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 Phrases Containing dim Learn More About dim

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 At the same time, the prospects for improvement in the supply seem dim. — New York Times, 3 May 2022 Prospects for diplomacy forging a cease-fire — much less a resolution — seemed dim as the war approached its 10th week. — Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2022 Instead, keep the lights dim and do something mindless, such as folding socks. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 18 Mar. 2022 The partnership between Paramount and Comedy Central means a lot of funny shows from the cable network are on Paramount+, including this mockumentary spoof of dim-witted cops in Reno, Nevada. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2021 But even as their hopes for statehood have never seemed so dim, there's no indication their aging leadership will change course. — Joseph Krauss, Star Tribune, 26 Aug. 2020 Additionally, other recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) also encouraged sleeping in dim light, if any. — Ashley Abramson, Health.com, 19 Apr. 2022 In a recent YouTube video, uploaded as shelling began in Odesa, Mauser crouches in the dim light of a bunker. — Will Hunt, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2022 Large eyes with more rod than cone cells allow the night-hunting birds to spot prey rustling in the underbrush, even in dim light. — Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Musk’s pledge to make Twitter a haven for free speech could dim the appeal of Donald Trump’s troubled Truth Social app, which the former president has touted as a competitor to Twitter that would cater to conservatives. — Tom Krisher And Matt O'brien, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022 When the sun is out, the lights dim to take advantage of the natural light and vary in intensity depending on the number of people in the room or the weather. — David Joosten, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 Nothing can dim his beautiful tone, and its survival through it all becomes a symbol of survival. — Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2022 Marquez, the veteran who drove from Apple Valley for the event, said the weather didn’t dim the luster of the performance. — Deborah Sullivan Brennan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2022 To set the mood, Atlanta designer Lauren Lowe urges hosts to dim overhead lights and fire up lots of candles. — WSJ, 24 Nov. 2021 The Warriors’ pregame video plays on the enormous Chase Center video screen as the lights inside the arena begin to dim. — C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2022 My neurologist mentioned that there are screen protectors that dim my screens. — Clare Collins, Glamour, 15 Mar. 2022 Kmart’s famous blue light is getting really, really dim. — Chris Morris, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Antique landscape paintings in golden frames hang next to funky potted ferns, giving the restaurant a vintage Mediterranean look that works best in the dim, candlelit lighting of the evening. — Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 6 Feb. 2022 The church was nearly dark, and as eyes adjusted to the dim, the interior came slowly into view: a long nave, an old stone roof and a crucifix at the altar in front of a red drape. — New York Times, 2 Jan. 2022 This Coen Brothers movie finds Josh Brolin as an old Hollywood fixer investigating a plot that finds a big-time dim-witted movie star played by George Clooney (doing more great work with the Coens) kidnapped and missing. — Evan Romano, Men's Health, 9 Mar. 2022 The wake/dim will help extend the battery life, as the display panel is typically the largest battery drainer in any laptop when it's not cranked up for maximum performance. — Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 28 Feb. 2022 Antique landscape paintings in golden frames hang next to funky potted ferns, giving the restaurant a vintage Mediterranean look that works best in the dim, candlelit lighting of the evening. — Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 6 Feb. 2022 Antique landscape paintings in golden frames hang next to funky potted ferns, giving the restaurant a vintage Mediterranean look that works best in the dim, candlelit lighting of the evening. — Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 6 Feb. 2022 In later years, Trumbull publicly voiced his belief that the film production and exhibition industries were failing to offer an attractive product, with theater screens small and projection dim. — Carmel Dagan, Variety, 8 Feb. 2022 Antique landscape paintings in golden frames hang next to funky potted ferns, giving the restaurant a vintage Mediterranean look that works best in the dim, candlelit lighting of the evening. — Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 6 Feb. 2022 See More

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.