\
\
also dwarves\ ˈdwȯrvz
\
Definition of dwarf
(Entry 1 of 3)
dwarf
verbDefinition of dwarf (Entry 2 of 3)
dwarf
adjectiveDefinition of dwarf (Entry 3 of 3)
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from dwarf
Noun
\
adjective
\
adjective
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for dwarf
Synonyms: Noun
diminutive, midget, mite, peewee, pygmy (also pigmy), runt, scrub, shrimp, Tom Thumb
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Noun
behemoth, colossus, giant, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monster, titan
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of dwarf in a Sentence
Noun
Shetland ponies are the dwarfs of the horse world. Snow White and the seven dwarfs.Verb
shrubs dwarfed by the lack of water
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Look, Apple has turned into the iPhone and the seven dwarves. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Microsoft is more valuable than Apple again. Why?," 30 Nov. 2018 The program used to identify Wolf 503b also found that its host star is an orange dwarf, meaning its not as bright as our Sun, but twice as old. — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, "Exoplanet 'twice the size of Earth' discovered 145 light-years away," 6 Sep. 2018 But if the dwarf encounters an intermediate-mass black hole, weird physics come into play. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "Black Holes Reignite Dead Stars and Turn Them Into Zombies," 30 Aug. 2018 Plus, the dwarves can really lean into their characters’ standout traits. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "36 Halloween Disney Costumes You And Your BFFs Can Pull Off," 16 Aug. 2018 In addition to elves and dwarves and imps there are also trolls and munchkins and leprechauns and a million other short-statured mystical characters. — John Jurgensen, WSJ, "From ‘The Simpsons’ to ‘Disenchantment’," 11 Aug. 2018 Orbiting our Milky Way galaxy is the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, "A Tarantula and Seahorse Make Up These Dazzling Nebulas," 30 May 2018 The Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Aviles had assembled 200 soldiers, drummers, trumpeters, fifers, and a dwarf who was a gifted singer and dancer. — National Geographic, "Ancient Native American King's House Rediscovered in Florida," 13 June 2018 And to challenge the λCDM model, scientists would need to rule out other explanations for the dwarf galaxies’ orbits. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "New observations of galaxies challenge the standard cosmological model," 1 Feb. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Wallops is dwarfed in size and attention by Cape Canaveral in Florida, which enjoys infrastructure dividends from the space-shuttle era such as long runways and huge buildings. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Rocket Lab Chooses Wallops Island, Virginia as American Launch Site," 17 Oct. 2018 His haul is dwarfed by Bishop's $561,000, but far outweighs Democrat Lee Castillo, who has raised and spent about $5,000. — Lindsay Whitehurst, Fox News, "3rd-party hopeful brings cash to race with Utah congressman," 8 Aug. 2018 While it is not known what percentage of MS-13 members are undocumented, MS-13's membership in the US is dwarfed by the total undocumented immigrant population in the US, which is estimated at roughly 11 million. — Jeremy Diamond, CNN, "Trump planning to withhold aid from undocumented immigrant home countries," 23 May 2018 At 35 to 45 meters large, the telescope needed for the project would dwarf anything currently seen on the Earth. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Firing a Giant Laser Into Space Could Help Find Aliens, MIT Scientist Says," 7 Nov. 2018 Whether farmers or foragers, groups were small and scattered, dwarfed by the limitless European landscape. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 With 31 regional sports networks, Comcast and Fox would dwarf the total networks owned by other pay-TV companies. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Comcast may soon control what you pay to watch your favorite sports teams," 24 May 2018 Reuters reported Monday that Mulvaney, who was installed as acting director by Trump in November, is looking for a penalty against Wells Fargo that would dwarf that earlier figure. — Jim Puzzanghera, latimes.com, "Wells Fargo reportedly facing huge fine for mortgage lending and auto insurance problems," 9 Apr. 2018 Such an amount would dwarf the Marshall Plan in size, but not necessarily in generosity. — The Economist, "Will China’s Belt and Road Initiative outdo the Marshall Plan?," 8 Mar. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Dwarf planet Ceres, found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, sports a weirdly tall and lonely mountain: Ahuna Mons. — Liz Kruesi, Discover Magazine, "Ceres Hosts an Ice Volcano," 21 Dec. 2016 Dwarf irises Why grow them: My bright-purple reticulatas reliably bloom in the first weeks of March, sticking their speckled tongues out at raging wind. — Susan Clotfelter, The Denver Post, "Ten plants that even a black-thumb gardener can’t kill," 31 Mar. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dwarf.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for dwarf
dwarf
nounFinancial Definition of dwarf
What It Is
In the mortgage business, a dwarf is a group of mortgage-backed securities that mature in fewer than 15 years. The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA or Fannie Mae) issues dwarves.
How It Works
Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) are securities that represent an interest in a pool of mortgage loans. Let's assume you want to buy a house, so you get a mortgage from XYZ Bank. XYZ Bank transfers money into your account, and you agree to repay the money according to a set schedule. XYZ Bank (which could also be a thrift, credit union, or other originator) may then choose to hold the mortgage in its portfolio (i.e., simply collect the interest and principal payments over the next several years) or sell it.
If XYZ Bank sells the mortgage, it gets cash to make other loans. So let's assume that XYZ Bank sells your mortgage to Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae groups your mortgage with similar mortgages it has already purchased (referred to as "pooling" the mortgages). The mortgages in the pool have common characteristics (i.e., similar interest rates, maturities). Pools that mature in fewer than 15 years make up dwarves.
Fannie Mae then sells securities that represent an interest in the dwarves, of which your mortgage is a small part (called securitizing the pool). It sells these MBS to investors in the open market. With the funds from the sale of the MBS, Fannie Mae can purchase more mortgages and create more MBS.
Why It Matters
For investors, an MBS is much like a bond, and dwarves are relatively short-term bonds in this sense However, it is important to note that payments that are part interest and part principal could be unfavorable to some dwarf investors, because with each decrease in outstanding principal there is a corresponding decrease in the amount of interest that accrues. The return of principal could also vary depending on how quickly the underlying mortgages are repaid.
Fannie Mae guarantees the timely payment of interest and principal on the MBS they issue -- that is, if the borrowers do not make their mortgage payments on time, Fannie Mae will still make timely interest and principal payments to their MBS investors. It is important to note that the U.S. government does not guarantee Fannie Mae. That is, if it cannot fulfill their obligations to its MBS investors, the government has no responsibility to rescue it.
Source: Investing Answers
dwarf
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of dwarf
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to make (something) look very small or unimportant when compared with something else
dwarf
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of dwarf (Entry 2 of 2)
of a plant or animal : smaller than normal size
See the full definition for dwarf in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dwarf
noun
\
Kids Definition of dwarf
(Entry 1 of 3)
dwarf
verbKids Definition of dwarf (Entry 2 of 3)
dwarf
adjectiveKids Definition of dwarf (Entry 3 of 3)
Keep scrolling for more
\
\
also dwarves\ ˈdwȯ(ə)rvz
\
Medical Definition of dwarf
(Entry 1 of 2)
dwarf
transitive verbMedical Definition of dwarf (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on dwarf
What made you want to look up dwarf? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Liar, Liar Quiz
-
- Someone who pretends to be sick in order to avoid work is a:
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Liar, Liar Quiz
Test your knowledge of words for lies, liars, and those being lied to. In other words, everyone.
Take the quiz -
Winter Words Quiz
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Syn City
Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.
Play the game
Share dwarf
Resources for dwarf