dim
not bright; with little light
Not bright; with only a little light.
a dim [room/light/street]
- The restaurant was so dim that I could barely read the menu.
- He woke up in a dim hospital room filled with the soft beeping of machines.
- We sat in the dim hallway, waiting for the power to come back on.
- A single dim bulb hung from the ceiling, casting long shadows on the walls.
- As the sun set, the room grew dim and we turned on a lamp.
- The light in my bedroom is dim.
- We ate dinner in a dim room.
- It was hard to read in the dim bus.
- The street is dim at night.
- The movie started and the cinema became dim.
faint or not clear (memory/shape/hope)
Weak or not clear, so it is hard to see, hear, or remember.
a dim [memory/outline/hope]
- I only have a dim memory of my first day at school.
- Through the fog we could just make out the dim outline of the bridge.
- There is still a dim hope that they will find survivors.
- Her childhood seems like a dim dream now.
- In the distance he saw a dim shape moving toward the house.
- I have a dim memory of my old house.
- We saw a dim shape in the fog.
- There is only a dim hope that he will win.
- The picture is dim in my mind now.
- After many years, the details became dim.
not intelligent; rather stupid
Not very intelligent; slow to understand things.
[someone] is dim
- He’s not dim; he just needs a bit more time to learn new things.
- I felt so dim when I couldn’t answer a single question in the meeting.
- Some of the comments online are really dim and poorly thought out.
- She plays a slightly dim character in the comedy series.
- It was a pretty dim thing to post your password on social media.
- He is not dim, but the work is hard.
- I felt dim when I made the same mistake again.
- They think I am dim because I am quiet.
- It was a dim idea to drive without sleep.
- She is kind but a little dim in class.
unlikely or not promising
Not likely to be good or successful.
dim [prospects/chances/future]
- With the company losing money, her promotion prospects looked dim.
- The future of the project is dim unless they can find new investors.
- After the injury, his chances of returning to professional sport were sadly dim.
- Economic forecasts for the next year are fairly dim.
- At that point, the outlook for peace seemed dim.
- His job prospects are dim in this small town.
- Without a visa, her chances are dim.
- The future of the team looks dim after so many losses.
- Their hopes of success grew dim after the bad news.
- My chances of passing were dim, but I tried hard.
make or become less bright
To make light softer and not so bright, or to become less bright.
dim [the lights/a screen]
- Could you dim the lights a little so we can see the projector?
- As the storm approached, the sky dimmed and the wind picked up.
- The screen automatically dims to save battery.
- He dimmed the lamp to create a more relaxed atmosphere.
- The headlights suddenly dimmed, and then went out completely.
- Please dim the lights before the movie starts.
- The room dimmed when the sun went down.
- My phone dims the screen at night.
- She dimmed the lamp and went to bed.
- The lights dimmed for a second and then came back.
weaken feelings, hopes, or memories
To make hopes, feelings, or memories weaker or less clear.
dim [hopes/enthusiasm/memory]
- The defeat did little to dim the team’s determination.
- Years of hardship had not dimmed her love for the city.
- Nothing could dim his enthusiasm for teaching.
- Time has dimmed my memory of that winter.
- The scandal dimmed public trust in the government.
- The bad news did not dim her hope.
- Many years did not dim their love.
- The loss dimmed his joy for a long time.
- Nothing can dim my love for my family.
- Time slowly dimmed his memory of the event.
- Base: dim
- Comparative: dimmer
- Superlative: dimmest
- Base: dim
- 3rd Person Singular: dims
- Present Participle: dimming
- Past: dimmed
- Irregular present participle: dimming Verb
- Irregular past: dimmed Verb
- Irregular comparative: dimmer Adjective
- Irregular superlative: dimmest Adjective
dim down
1to reduce light or brightness
To become less bright, or to make something less bright, especially lights or a screen.
- The streetlights dim down after midnight to save energy.
- You can set your phone to dim down automatically at night.
- The stage lights dimmed down as the singer walked off.
dim the lights
1turn the lights down lower
To make the lights less bright.
- Please dim the lights for the presentation.
- They dimmed the lights to create a romantic mood.
- The cinema slowly dimmed the lights before the film started.
grow dim
1slowly become less bright/clear
To slowly become less bright or less clear, for light, memories, or hopes.
- As evening fell, the sky grew dim.
- Over the years, her memories of that day grew dim.
- His hopes of winning the case grew dim as more evidence appeared.
in the dim and distant past
1a long time ago, hardly remembered
A very long time ago, so long ago that people do not remember it clearly.
- He last played for the club in the dim and distant past.
- In the dim and distant past, people traveled by horse and carriage.
- Those rules were written in the dim and distant past and no longer make sense.
take a dim view of
1to disapprove or be against
To dislike or disapprove of something, and to feel negative about it.
- The company takes a dim view of employees arriving late.
- Parents may take a dim view of teenagers staying out all night.
- Local residents take a dim view of plans to cut down the trees.