English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

dumbfounded

adj

So surprised or shocked that one is unable to speak or react.

dumble

noun

A shaded valley with a stream, often with steep, tree-covered sides.

dumbledore

noun

An old dialect word for a bumblebee.

dumbling

noun

A stupid or unintelligent person; a fool.

dumbly

adv

Without speaking; silently.

dumbness

noun

The condition of not speaking, either because someone refuses to or because they are unable to.

dumbo

noun

(informal, mildly insulting) A stupid or foolish person.

dumminess

noun

The state of being foolish or lacking sense.

dummkopf

noun

A silly or unintelligent person; an idiot.

dummy

noun

A model or replica of a person or object, used as a stand-in.

Dumont

name

A French surname, and a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey.

dump

noun

A site where waste or garbage is disposed of.

dumpcart

noun

A cart, usually with two wheels, that tips up to empty out its load.

dumper

noun

A small vehicle used for moving loads and materials about, commonly on building sites; a dumpcart.

dumping

noun

The act of discarding or disposing of something, especially carelessly or illegally.

dumpling

noun

A small piece of dough, often filled, that is boiled, steamed, or added to a stew.

dumpster

noun

A large metal container for trash, designed to be emptied by a garbage truck.

dumpy

adj

Short and stout in build; stocky.

dun

adj

A dull greyish-brown colour.

Dunbar

name

A Scottish surname, and a town in East Lothian, Scotland.

Duncan

name

A male given name and surname of Scottish Gaelic origin, borne by two early kings of Scotland; also the name of numerous towns worldwide.

dunce

noun

Someone regarded as slow-witted or foolish, especially at learning.

duncedom

noun

Dunces as a group, or the world they belong to.

duncehood

noun

The condition of being a dunce; an inability to understand things.

duncical

adj

Resembling a dunce; silly or unintelligent.

Dundee

name

A city in Scotland, and the name of numerous other places worldwide.

dunder

noun

The residue left over from fermenting sugarcane juice, used to flavour rum during distillation.

dunderhead

noun

A stupid or slow-witted person.

dune

noun

A mound or ridge of loose sand shaped by wind or water.

dung

noun

The solid waste matter of an animal; manure.

dungaree

noun

A thick denim cloth, usually blue, used to make jeans.

dungarees

noun

Thick denim trousers with a bib and shoulder straps, worn mainly for work.

dungeon

noun

A dark, often underground prison cell, typically found beneath an old castle.

Dunham

name

A surname of Old English origin.

dunk

verb

To dip something briefly into a liquid.

dunker

noun

A person who dunks something.

Dunkin

name

A surname, also used as a shortened, phonetic form of "Dunkin'" in the coffee chain Dunkin' Donuts.

dunking

noun

The act of briefly submerging something, or someone, in a liquid.

Dunkirk

name

A port town in northern France, the site of a major Allied evacuation in 1940.

Dunlap

name

A surname, and the name of several towns in the United States.

Dunlop

noun

A rubber tyre made by the Dunlop company, or loosely, any pneumatic tyre.

Dunn

name

An Irish surname, and a city in Harnett County, North Carolina.

Dunne

name

An Irish surname, a variant spelling of Dunn.

dunnekin

noun

An outside toilet, built as its own small building.

dunning

noun

The act of repeatedly pressing someone to pay a debt they owe.

dunno

noun

An informal, run-together way of saying "I don't know," used mainly in speech and casual writing.

dunnock

noun

A small European and Asian passerine bird, Prunella modularis; the hedge sparrow or hedge warbler.

dunny

adj

Faintly dun-coloured, a dusky brown.

Dunphy

name

A surname, often of Irish origin.

Dunston

name

A surname, and the name of several villages in England.

duo

noun

Two people, especially performers or partners, doing something together.

duodecimal

adj

Counted or written using twelve as the base number, rather than ten.

duodecimate

noun

Another word for a group of twelve people or things.

duodenum

noun

The first part of the small intestine, running from the lower end of the stomach to the jejunum.

duomo

noun

A large church built in a grand style, especially in Italy.

duopoly

noun

A market condition in which two sellers between them control most of the trade in a particular good or service.

dupe

verb

To trick or deceive someone, usually to gain something from them.

duper

noun

Someone who deceives or tricks others.

dupery

noun

The act of tricking someone, or the state of having been fooled.

duplet

noun

A pair of things taken together as one unit.

duplex

noun

A house divided into two separate living units, or a single home with two floors.

duplicate

adj

Exactly the same as something else, especially because it was copied from it.

duplication

noun

The act of making an exact copy of something.

duplicitous

adj

Deliberately dishonest, saying one thing while meaning or doing another.

duplicity

noun

Deliberate deceitfulness, especially by saying different things to different people.

Dupont

name

A French surname, notably borne by the American chemical company DuPont.

duppy

noun

A ghost or spirit, often appearing in the form of a dog barking or howling through the night.

Dupree

name

A French surname, and the county seat of Ziebach County, South Dakota.

Duque

name

A surname, common in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Duquesne

name

A French surname, and a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

durability

noun

The quality of lasting a long time because it can withstand wear, pressure or force.

durable

adj

Able to withstand wear, damage, or long use.

Duran

name

A Spanish surname, notably borne by the boxer Roberto Duran; also a commune in France.

Durand

name

A surname, and the county seat of Pepin County, Wisconsin.

Durango

name

A state and city in Mexico, and a city in La Plata County, Colorado.

Durant

name

A surname, and the county seat of Bryan County, Oklahoma.

Duras

noun

A traditional French red wine grape grown mainly near the river Tarn, used to add colour and tannin to blends.

duration

noun

The length of time something lasts.

durative

adj

Relating to how long something lasts.

Durban

name

A major port city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

duress

noun

Pressure or threats used to force someone into doing something against their will.

Durga

name

A Hindu goddess of war, strength, and protection, and a feminine given name in India derived from her name.

Durham

name

A county and cathedral city in northeast England.

durian

noun

A large tropical fruit from Southeast Asia, covered in a thick, spiky husk, prized by fans for its rich, custard-like flesh but notorious for its overpowering smell.

during

prep

Throughout the whole of a period of time.

durity

noun

The quality of being hard or firm.

Durrell

name

A surname of Old French origin, notably borne by the writers Lawrence and Gerald Durrell.

Durst

name

A German surname, notably borne by musician Fred Durst.

dusk

noun

The dim period between sunset and full darkness.

dusky

adj

Dimly lit, as things appear at dusk.

dust

noun

Fine, dry particles of dirt, skin, pollen, and other matter that settle on surfaces or float in the air.

dustbin

noun

A container, usually kept outside, for household rubbish awaiting collection.

dustcloth

noun

A cloth used to wipe dust off surfaces.

duster

noun

A cloth or soft implement used for wiping dust off surfaces.

Dustin

name

A male given name of Germanic origin, notably borne by actor Dustin Hoffman.

dusting

noun

A light, thin covering of something, especially snow or powder.

dustman

noun

Someone whose job is to collect rubbish from people's houses and take it away.

dustpan

noun

A flat, handled scoop used with a brush to collect swept-up dirt.

dustpanful

noun

The amount needed to fill a dustpan.

dustup

noun

A scuffle or fight.

dusty

adj

Covered with or full of dust.

Dutch

adj

Relating to the Netherlands, its people, or its language.

dutchie

noun

A cannabis blunt rolled inside a Dutch Masters cigar.

dutchland

name

Pennsylvania Dutchland

Dutchman

name

A term for a native or inhabitant of the Netherlands, and historically a nickname for U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

dutchy

adj

Spoken in a way that is hard to make out, mumbled or slurred.

duteous

adj

(dated) Very obedient and eager to please.

duties

noun

Plural of duty: the specific tasks and responsibilities a person is required to carry out as part of a job or role.

dutiful

adj

Careful to do what duty, obligation, or respect requires, without complaint.

Dutta

name

A surname common among Assamese and Bengali people.

Dutton

name

A habitational surname of Old English origin, and the name of several villages in England.

duty

noun

Something a person is morally or legally obligated to do.

Duvall

name

A surname, notably borne by the actor Robert Duvall.

duvet

noun

A thick, soft quilt filled with down, feathers or synthetic fibre, used on a bed instead of a top sheet and blankets and normally slipped inside a washable cover.

duwayne

name

A male forename, a variant of Duane.

Dvorak

adj

Describing an alternative keyboard layout designed so the most commonly used letters sit on the home row, aimed at faster and more comfortable typing than the standard QWERTY layout.

DVR

verb

To record a television broadcast using a digital video recorder, for watching later.

dw

abbreviation

Don't worry: used in texting and chat to reassure someone that a problem is not important or that no apology is needed.

dwane

name

A male forename that is a variant of Dwayne.

dwarf

noun

A person, animal, or plant much smaller than typical for its kind.

dwarfish

adj

Very small, like a dwarf.

Dwayne

name

A male given name, a variant of Duane.

dweeb

noun

An unfashionable, overly studious, or socially awkward person.

dwell

verb

To live or reside in a place.

dweller

noun

A person or animal that lives in a particular kind of place.

dwelling

noun

A house or other place where someone lives.

dweomercraft

noun

(literary) Magic, or the practice of magical arts.

Dwight

name

A surname and male given name transferred from it, notably borne by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

dwimmer

noun

(literary) Magic or sorcery, especially of a mysterious kind.

dwimmercraft

noun

(literary) The practice of illusion, magic, and sorcery.

dwindle

verb

To become steadily smaller, fewer or weaker over time.

dwindling

adj

Steadily becoming smaller or less.

Dwyer

name

An Irish surname.

dy

adv

Already (informal, chiefly Southeast Asian English usage).

dyad

noun

A pair of two closely connected people or things treated as a single unit.

dye

noun

A substance used to change the colour of something, especially fabric or hair.

dyed

adj

Coloured using dye.

dyeing

noun

The process of adding colour to fabric, hair, or other material using dye.

dyer

noun

A person whose job is dyeing cloth or other material.

Dyes

noun

Plural of dye: substances used to colour materials such as fabric, hair, or paper.

dying

adj

Close to death; in the final stage of life.

dyke

noun

A raised bank of earth or stone built to hold back water and prevent flooding.

dykes

noun

Plural of dyke: earthen or stone banks built to prevent flooding.

Dylan

name

A male given name of Welsh origin, also used as a female given name and surname, notably borne by the musician Bob Dylan.

Dyle

name

A river in Belgium, flowing through Leuven and Mechelen.

dynamic

adj

Full of energy and always changing or moving forward.

dynamically

adv

In a way that changes or adapts, rather than staying fixed.

dynamics

noun

The branch of physics dealing with forces and how they cause motion.

dynamism

noun

A lively, forceful kind of energy and drive in a person or thing.

dynamite

noun

A powerful explosive made from nitroglycerin absorbed into a stabilising material, used for blasting and demolition.