as in moron
a stupid person
was considered something of a dim bulb at work
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Recent Examples of dim bulb
Swap dim bulbs for brighter, warmer ones.
—
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
That’s because well more than half of the universe’s stars are tiny, cool red dwarfs, dim bulbs with half to less than 10 percent of the sun’s mass.
—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
Not only are Hochul's numbers in bad shape throughout the state, the congresswoman is vastly smarter and quicker than the dim bulb governor.
—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Georgie, a big-hearted dim bulb, is working for Jim, who owns a tire store or something.
—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Oct. 2024
While there are dim bulbs in both parties, a special lighting area should be designed for Alabama Senator and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.
—
Walter Shapiro,
The New Republic,
25 Sep. 2023
Hamm's cop is on the case that involves moldy fast food, a deaf hitman and a bunch of dim bulbs not good at crimes.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
15 June 2023
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
That’s because well more than half of the universe’s stars are tiny, cool red dwarfs, dim bulbs with half to less than 10 percent of the sun’s mass.
—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
Not only are Hochul's numbers in bad shape throughout the state, the congresswoman is vastly smarter and quicker than the dim bulb governor.
—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Georgie, a big-hearted dim bulb, is working for Jim, who owns a tire store or something.
—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Oct. 2024
While there are dim bulbs in both parties, a special lighting area should be designed for Alabama Senator and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.
—
Walter Shapiro,
The New Republic,
25 Sep. 2023
Hamm's cop is on the case that involves moldy fast food, a deaf hitman and a bunch of dim bulbs not good at crimes.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
15 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim bulb
Noun
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Mantzoukas was willing to look like a maniac and a moron in equal measure.
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Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.
Noun
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My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.
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The scale of the headloss was best summed up by Luis Suarez attempting to reason with Messi, before the Argentine did anything on the Suarez scale of stupid.
Noun
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The dummy isn’t for your benefit, either now or later on.
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The current dummy, dating back in part to 2001, is constructed from 116 rubber discs connected by steel parts all held together by a frame of wires and supported overhead by a separate metal structure.
Cite this Entry
“Dim bulb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim%20bulb. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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