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dumb-bell /'dʌmbel/ n 1 [usually pl.] a weight consisting of two large metal balls connected by a short bar and usually used in pairs for exercises to strengthen the body 2 slang, especially AmE a stupid person
dumb 'blonde n a woman who is thought to be attractive but stupid
CULTURAL NOTE A woman need not actually have BLONDE hair or be dumb (=stupid) but may be called a 'dumb blonde' by men or other women as a quick, offensive description. It would not be used in front of the person, but only about them: She's just a dumb blonde.| She plays the dumb blonde in the film.
dumb-found, dumfound /dʌm'faʊnd/ v [T] to make unable to speak because of wonder, surprise, or lack of understanding; SURPRISE: She dumbfounded her critics by winning all the prizes.
dumb-found-ed, dumfounded /dʌm'faʊndɪd/ also dumb-struck /'dʌmstrʌk/ adj [(at, by)] unable to speak because of shock, surprise, or lack of understanding; SURPRISED: We were all dumbfounded at/by the news. | a dumb-founded silence | [+that] I was dumbfounded that she could say such a thing.
'dumbing 'down n [U] the practice of making something such as a television programme or a newspaper less intelligent, especially by removing anything too detailed or difficult to understand. This is done with the aim of making programmes, newspapers etc more popular: The BBC has hit back at criticism of 'dumbing down' in its news output.
dum-bo /'dʌmbəʊ/ n infml especially AmE a stupid person: Don't do it that way, you dumbo!
Dumbo the main character in the CARTOON film Dumbo, made by Walt DISNEY in 1941. Dumbo is a young elephant with very large ears, who learns to fly.
'dumb show n [C;U] something performed with actions only, and without any speaking: to tell a story in dumb show
dumb-wait-er /ˌdʌm'weɪtə/ n 1 a small LIFT used for moving food, plates etc, from one level of a building (especially a restaurant) to another 2 BrE | lazy Susan AmE — a small table that turns round on a fixed base, used for serving food
Dum-fries and Gal-lo-way /dʌmˌfriːz ənd 'gæləweɪ/ a REGION in southwest Scotland, including the town of Dumfries
dum-my /'dʌmi/ n 1 an object made to look like and take the place of a real thing: a dummy gun made of plastic 2 a model of a human figure made of wood, plastic etc and used to make or show off clothes: a dressmaker's dummy 3 BrE | pacifier AmE — a rubber TEAT for sucking, put in a baby's mouth to keep it quiet 4 slang, especially AmE a stupid fool: You dummy! 5 (a player with) the open cards on the table in the game of BRIDGE
dummy 'run also trial run n a practice attempt made before the real thing; REHEARSAL: a dummy run in preparation for the ceremony tomorrow
dump¹ /dʌmp/ v 1 [T +obj+adv/prep] to drop or unload (something), especially heavily or carelessly, in a rough pile: Don't dump that sand in the middle of the path. | They dumped their bags on my floor and left. | (fig.) Some people I used to know turned up and dumped themselves on me for the weekend. (=stayed for the weekend without being invited to do so) 2 [I;T] to get rid of (things which are not wanted etc) irresponsibly; ABANDON: He dumped his old car at the side of the road. | No dumping here! | (fig.) He's just dumped his latest girlfriend. | That school is just a dumping ground for problem children. 3 [T] derog to sell (goods) in a foreign country more cheaply than at home, especially below the cost of production; this might happen when the products are not wanted by the country selling them, when they are below the standard considered safe or legal by the home country but thought acceptable in other parts of the world, e.g. medical supplies or other products: The company denied dumping baby milk substitutes on Third World hospitals. 4 [T] tech to move (information stored in a computer's memory) to another place of storage, such as a DISK
dump² n 1 also tip BrE a place for dumping waste material: the town rubbish dump 2 (a place for) a stored supply of military materials: an ammunition dump 3 derog slang a dirty, untidy, or disorderly place: This town's a real dump! → see also DUMPS 4 the result of moving information stored in a computer's memory to another place, such as a DISK: I haven't analysed this dump yet to see what the problem was.
dump-er /'dʌmpə/ also 'dumper truck, 'dump truck AmE — n: a vehicle with a large movable container on the front, used for carrying and emptying heavy loads of soil, stones etc
'dumping ground n [(for)] a place where people get rid of waste material: Rivers have always been a dumping ground for man's unwanted waste. | (fig.) The prison has been the dumping ground for difficult prisoners for years.
dump-ling /'dʌmplɪŋ/ n 1 a lump of flour mixed with water, cooked by boiling in water and often served with meat or having meat inside it: chicken and dumplings 2 a sweet food made of pastry with fruit inside it: apple dumplings
dumps /dʌmps/ n (down) in the dumps infml sad; DEPRESSED
Dump-ster, dumpster /'dʌmpstə/ trademark AmE a large metal container used for waste in the US; SKIP² BrE
dump-y /'dʌmpi/ adj infml derog (especially of a person) short and fat: a dumpy little woman —iness n [U]
dun /dʌn/ n 1 [U] a brownish-grey colour that lacks brightness 2 [C] a horse of this colour —dun adj
Dun & Brad-street /ˌdʌn ənd 'brædstriːt/ trademark a US company that provides information for businesses to help managers make decisions. Its services include setting CREDIT RATINGS for businesses, based on their records of paying debts and delivering goods etc
Dun-a-way, Faye /ˈdʌnəweɪ, feɪ/ (1941–) a US actress who first became famous in the film BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) and has since appeared in many other films, including Chinatown (1974) and Mommie Dearest (1981)
Dun-blane /dʌn'bleɪn/ a small town in Scotland, where in 1996 16 young children and their teacher were shot and killed in their school by a man called Thomas Hamilton who also killed himself. Because of these murders, many people demanded stricter laws against people owning guns, and new gun-control laws were passed in 1997.
Dun-can /'dʌŋkən/ a character in the play MACBETH by William SHAKESPEARE. Duncan is the king of Scotland and is murdered by Macbeth.
Duncan, Is·a·do·ra /ˌɪzə'dɔːrə/ (1878–1927) a US dancer who had a great influence on MODERN DANCE. She was killed when the SCARF that she was wearing became caught in the wheels of her car and strangled (STRANGLE) her.
Duncan 'Hines trademark a type of MIX¹ for cakes and other sweet baked foods such as MUFFINS and BROWNIES made by a US company
Duncan Smith, I-ain /'iːən/ (1954–) a British politician who became leader of the Conservative Party in 2001. He never led his party during an election, and was forced to RESIGN in 2003 when many Conservative MPs said that they did not support him and thought that he was a weak leader.
dunce /dʌns/ n a slow learner; stupid person: the dunce of the class | I was a dunce at chemistry.
'dunce's cap also 'dunce cap, 'dunce's hat n a tall round pointed paper hat formerly placed on the heads of pupils at school if they were stupid or slow to learn. Hats like this are never used now, but they sometimes appear in CARTOONS often with a large letter 'D' on them.
Dun-dee /dʌn'diː/ a city on the east coast of Scotland, where the River Tay enters the sea, which has a university, a CATHEDRAL, and two football teams
Dun'dee cake n [C;U] a cake which contains a lot of dried fruit and is decorated with almonds on the top, eaten especially in the UK
dun-der-head /'dʌndəhed||-ər-/ n becoming rare a stupid person
dune /djuːn||duːn/ also sand dune n a sandhill, often long and low, piled up by the wind on the seashore or in a desert
Dune a popular SCIENCE FICTION novel by the US writer Frank Herbert. It is the first in a series of books about a PLANET called Dune and the lives of the people who fight for control of it.