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
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
Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Farrell, by contrast, plays a brusque, dim henchman named Alec, who’s there mostly to look tough and briefly talk about Star Wars.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Her certainty falters as the light from the mothership dims, the last traces of the hive connection dying above them.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Howoo Howoo is a dim, luxe Korean-barbecue restaurant sitting just east of Manhattan’s Koreatown.
—Air Mail, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dim
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Still, as more time passes, others feel that the fate of finding the historic jewels looks dim.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Farrell, by contrast, plays a brusque, dim henchman named Alec, who’s there mostly to look tough and briefly talk about Star Wars.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Her adventurous spirit never dimmed.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Her certainty falters as the light from the mothership dims, the last traces of the hive connection dying above them.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
With the union's future looking dim, Rice began looking for other ways to connect with federal workers and discovered the Federal Unionists Network, the group that Gorman is also a part of.
—NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Howoo Howoo is a dim, luxe Korean-barbecue restaurant sitting just east of Manhattan’s Koreatown.
—Air Mail, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dim
Cite this Entry
“Dim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dim. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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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