dud

noun \ ˈdəd \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: dud in a Sentence

Definition of dud

1 duds plural

a : clothing

b : personal belongings

2 a : one that is ineffectual; also : failure

a box-office dud

b : misfit

3 : a bomb or missile that fails to explode

See dud defined for English-language learners

See dud defined for kids

Examples of dud in a Sentence

The seeds must have been duds because the plants never grew.
She put on her new duds for the party.

Recent Examples of dud from the Web

On the other hand, extended ventures into the wilderness, such as tracking game trails in hope of a spot-and-stalk with no guarantee of success, is exciting for the wildlife expert and a dud for kids.

— tom stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Outdoor family vacations can bind or break," 24 June 2018
Watch a trailer for ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.’ Studios and exhibitors are especially giddy following last summer’s collection of duds.

— erich schwartzel, WSJ, "Get Ready for a Multibillion-Dollar Summer-Movie Battle Royale," 10 May 2018
The ballyhooed grouping of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, which received a titanic amount of hype leading into the first round of The Players Championship, produced few fireworks and plenty of duds.

— steve dimeglio, USA TODAY, "Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler disappoint in Players Championship," 10 May 2018
In one incredibly disastrous move, Skipper torpedoed his most successful radio show of all time, blew up his most valuable TV franchise, and launched a dud of a new program.

— brian flood, Fox News, "Ex-ESPN boss John Skipper left the network with expensive, faltering show 'Get Up!,' critics say," 10 Apr. 2018
Courtesy of the Designers The latest name to offer chic miniature duds for little ones is none other than Project Runway Season Three winner Jeffrey Sebelia.

— elana fishman, Marie Claire, "Designer, Downsized: Jeffrey Sebelia Debuts Childrenswear," 28 July 2011
Several early tests with dummy bombs were a dud because the bats woke too late (causing them to plummet ingloriously to the ground once released) or too soon (before their cargo had been attached and allowing them to escape the base).

— lucy cooke, ajc, "US military is interested in bats as possible defenders against bioweapons," 3 July 2018
Several early tests with dummy bombs were a dud because the bats woke too late (causing them to plummet ingloriously to the ground once released) or too soon (before their cargo had been attached and allowing them to escape the base).

— lucy cooke, Washington Post, "The batty, explosive history of bats in the military — and why this new idea just might work," 2 July 2018
What was billed as a spectacle turned out to be a dud.

— New York Times, "A Look Back at Evel Knievel: A Daredevil Unafraid to Fail," 29 June 2018

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