dimmer; dimmest
1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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
dimmed; dimming
1
: to reduce the light from
dim the headlights
2
: to make dim or lusterless
dimmed their hopes of an early settlement
: to become dim
the lights dimmed
their beauty had dimmed
1
dimension
2
diminished
3
diminuendo
4
diminutive
Synonyms
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
Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Such collaborations have resulted in a monthly accessible screening featuring open captions, lowered sound and dim lighting.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
The bar, which opened more than a week ago, is lit with dim lamps and flickering candles.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
This all occurred on a spring day in which the blue sky of morning gave way increasingly to the dim gray overcast of afternoon.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
That said, the narrow variable f-stop range limits its use in dim light and the autofocus system isn't consistently accurate.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
On April 8, 2024, when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, the resulting solar eclipse will darken skies to a dim twilight for 5 minutes across a wide swath of North America.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
When the lights go dim, Ash still can appear to be teenage warriors: Wheeler slings a Flying V guitar and Hamilton never is content to be anchored at the side of the stage.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024
At the time of the call last summer, Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, faced a dim financial outlook.
—Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Bill Chappell, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
That’s a question some may ask soon, when the moon is expected to pass before the sun, dimming the skies for a couple of hours.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Sunlight will dim and changes in the weather will also occur in partial eclipse areas, but to a lesser extent.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
By wearing red and green clothing, observers can enhance their visual experience during the dimming sunlight of the eclipse.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
While Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin is not in the path of totality, the eclipse would still dim the sky slightly and almost 90% of the sun will be covered.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2024
As the penumbral lunar eclipse occurs, the moon will dim slightly, while in a total lunar eclipse, the moon becomes reddish, completely entering the Earth's shadow, according to experts.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
Over time, her light has dimmed with growing concerns for the future of her career.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024
Other strips may only offer the ability to dim the lights and nothing more.
—Pamela Porter, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2024
Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Middleton hasn’t been photographed in public—with the exception of two dim (and disputed) paparazzi shots of her in cars—since December.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024
After five minutes of submersion, chances of a rescue dim, said Dr. Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician and director of the Trauma & Injury Prevention Outreach Program at Mass General for Children.
—Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
An auto dim feature allows users to sleep without the glow of a bright screen, so your dad can rest peacefully.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2023
The soundtrack is melancholy and the lighting dim.
—Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2022
Americans retain their faith in the American dream even as our prospects of upward mobility dim.
—New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022
The changes come as the city has been trying to decrease violent crime through policing and other methods, such as targeting blighted neighborhoods or areas with dim or no lighting.
—Dallas News, 9 Nov. 2022
And as fears about the pandemic dim in highly vaccinated countries after the wave of omicron variant infections, attention may be elsewhere.
—Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022
Adjective
The upstairs dining room is still dressed with the brick walls and lantern lights it’s been wearing seemingly since opening in 2003; the ground floor combines tall and banquette tables and a rear lounge area with low red seating and dim lighting that could be mistaken for a tired gentlemen’s club.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Such collaborations have resulted in a monthly accessible screening featuring open captions, lowered sound and dim lighting.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
The bar, which opened more than a week ago, is lit with dim lamps and flickering candles.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
This all occurred on a spring day in which the blue sky of morning gave way increasingly to the dim gray overcast of afternoon.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
That said, the narrow variable f-stop range limits its use in dim light and the autofocus system isn't consistently accurate.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
On April 8, 2024, when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, the resulting solar eclipse will darken skies to a dim twilight for 5 minutes across a wide swath of North America.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
When the lights go dim, Ash still can appear to be teenage warriors: Wheeler slings a Flying V guitar and Hamilton never is content to be anchored at the side of the stage.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024
At the time of the call last summer, Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, faced a dim financial outlook.
—Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
When the light's intensity dims in the eclipse, colors with longer wavelengths, like red, will look darker as cones become less active.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
That’s a question some may ask soon, when the moon is expected to pass before the sun, dimming the skies for a couple of hours.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Sunlight will dim and changes in the weather will also occur in partial eclipse areas, but to a lesser extent.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
By wearing red and green clothing, observers can enhance their visual experience during the dimming sunlight of the eclipse.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
While Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin is not in the path of totality, the eclipse would still dim the sky slightly and almost 90% of the sun will be covered.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2024
As the penumbral lunar eclipse occurs, the moon will dim slightly, while in a total lunar eclipse, the moon becomes reddish, completely entering the Earth's shadow, according to experts.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
Over time, her light has dimmed with growing concerns for the future of her career.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024
Other strips may only offer the ability to dim the lights and nothing more.
—Pamela Porter, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
While some golfers only donned solar glasses at the moment of maximum obscurity, others tracked many of their shots through the dim of their commemorative eyewear.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Middleton hasn’t been photographed in public—with the exception of two dim (and disputed) paparazzi shots of her in cars—since December.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024
After five minutes of submersion, chances of a rescue dim, said Dr. Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician and director of the Trauma & Injury Prevention Outreach Program at Mass General for Children.
—Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
An auto dim feature allows users to sleep without the glow of a bright screen, so your dad can rest peacefully.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2023
The soundtrack is melancholy and the lighting dim.
—Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2022
Americans retain their faith in the American dream even as our prospects of upward mobility dim.
—New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022
The changes come as the city has been trying to decrease violent crime through policing and other methods, such as targeting blighted neighborhoods or areas with dim or no lighting.
—Dallas News, 9 Nov. 2022
And as fears about the pandemic dim in highly vaccinated countries after the wave of omicron variant infections, attention may be elsewhere.
—Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dim
Cite this Entry
“Dim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dim. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dim
2 of 2 verb
dimmed; dimming
1
: to make or become dim
2
: to reduce the light from
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