dim
pronunciation
How to pronounce dim in British English:
UK [dɪm]
How to pronounce dim in American English:
US [dɪm]
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- Verb:
- switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
- become or make darker
- become dim or lusterless
- make dim or lusterless
- make dim by comparison or conceal
- become vague or indistinct
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- Adjective:
- lacking in light; not bright or harsh
- lacking clarity or distinctness
- made dim or less bright
- offering little or no hope
- slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
Word Origin
- dim (adj.)
- Old English dimm "dark, gloomy, obscure," from Proto-Germanic *dimbaz (cognates: Old Norse dimmr, Old Frisian dim, Old High German timber "dark, black, somber"). Not known outside Germanic. Slang sense of "stupid" is from 1892. Related: Dimly; dimness.
- dim (v.)
- c. 1200, perhaps in Old English, from dim (adj.). Related: Dimmed; dimming.
Example
- 1. Myth : reading in dim lighting ruins your eyesight .
- 2. Some of the dim branches exhibit bright recoil leaders .
- 3. Dim your screen a bit if you 're reading something long .
- 4. My obscure lines shall not so dim their worth .
- 5. In the past , spain 's labour courts have taken a dim view of firms seeking to cut jobs .