dis

1 of 5

verb

ˈdis 

variants or less commonly diss

dissed; dissing

transitive verb

1

slang : to treat with disrespect or contempt : insult

dissed her former co-star in the interview

was dissed and ignored at the party

2

slang : to find fault with : criticize

dissed her wardrobe

dis

2 of 5

noun (1)

variants or less commonly diss

1

slang : a disparaging remark or act : insult

… was meant as a tribute, not a dis.

—VIBE

2

slang : disrespect

dis

3 of 5

abbreviation

1

discharge

2

discount

3

distance

Dis

4 of 5

noun (2)

ˈdis 

mythology

: the Roman god of the underworld (see underworld sense 1) compare pluto

dis-

5 of 5

prefix

1

a

: do the opposite of

disestablish

b

: deprive of (a specified quality, rank, or object)

disfranchise

c

: exclude or expel from

disbar

2

: opposite or absence of

disunion

disaffection

3

: not

disagreeable

4

: completely

disannul

5

: dys-

disfunction

Synonyms of dis

Verb

• disdain
• hate
• disrespect
• despise
• contemn
• walk over
• scorn
• sniff (at)

Noun (1)

• insult
• sarcasm

Examples of dis in a Sentence

Verb

don't dis my idea until you come up with a better one

a DJ who has dissed every album that artist has put out

Noun (1)

the refs can penalize a player for any dis on the field

don't take it wrong—I don't mean it as a dis

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Anthony Mackie recently revealed that Eminem was dissing him in real life, not his character Papa Doc, in the scene. — Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 12 Mar. 2025

Ian has seemingly responded to Tyler, The Creator after the Grammy-winning rapper subliminally dissed him during an interview with Maverick Carter last year. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 11 Mar. 2025

So did secure borders (Ron and Don) and tariffs (Don) and dissing Canada (Don and Ron). — Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025

That’s no small feat considering that many critics dissed the movie. — Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025

Cookie Monster came out first but was unceremoniously dissed by our grandson, who excitedly pointed to Elmo behind him and, with a big grin, happily snuggled himself into Elmo’s open arms. — Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

Noun

Her monologue manages to be both a dis to her mother and to the city that gifted her so much success. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

The Lost Cause monuments are the still-visible presentation of this dis-ease of injured and ill-earned power in the body politic. — Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026

When prolonged, these emotions result in hypervigilance, creating a chronic state of fear, tension and dis-ease. — Dr. Jacqueline A. Hart, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

short for disrespect

Noun (2)

Latin

Prefix

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French des-, borrowed from Latin dis-, dī- (before b, d, g, l, m, n, v, r), dir- (before vowels), dif- (before f) "apart, asunder, in two," of uncertain origin

Note: Latin dis- is conventionally linked with bi- bi- entry 1, bis "twice," going back to *duis, but the loss of -u- is unexplained (perhaps from Indo-European *dus- "bad, dys-," otherwise unattested in Latin, crossed with duis-?). Possibly related are Greek diá "apart, through" (see dia-), assuming *dis-a-, and the West Germanic prefix represented by Old Saxon and Old Frisian te- "apart, in pieces," Old High German zi-, ze- (also zer-, perhaps crossed with zur-, Old English and Old Norse tor- "with difficulty," Gothic tuz-, from the Germanic outcome of Indo-European *dus-) and Old English and Old Saxon to- (assimilated to tō to entry 1?); the Gothic counterpart dis- "apart, away," with apparently unshifted d-, has no accepted explanation.

First Known Use

Verb

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1986, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1567, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dis

• bis
• bliss
• criss
• diss
• hiss
• kiss
• kris
• liss
• mis
• miss
• riss
• sis

Kids Definition

dis

1 of 2 verb

ˈdis

dissed; dissing

1

slang : to treat with disrespect or contempt : insult

2

slang : to find fault with : criticize

dis-

2 of 2 prefix

1

a

: do the opposite of

disagree

b

: deprive of

disarm

c

: exclude or expel from

disbar

2

: opposite or absence of

disaffection

disfavor

3

: not

discourteous

Etymology

Prefix

Latin dis-, literally, "apart"

Medical Definition

dis

abbreviation

1

disabled

2

disease