Definition of “dim” - English Dictionary

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“dim” in English

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dimadjective

uk ​ /dɪm/ us ​ /dɪm/ dimmer, dimmest

dim adjective (NOT CLEAR)

C2 not giving or having much light:

The lamp gave out a dim light.
He sat in a dim corner of the waiting room.
We could see a dim (= not easily seen) shape in the fog.

› literary If your eyes are dim, you cannot see very well.

a dim memory, recollection, etc.

C2 something that you remember slightly, but not very well:

I had a dim recollection of having met her before.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

dimly
adverb uk ​ /ˈdɪm.li/ us ​ /ˈdɪm.li/

›

The room was dimly lit.
I dimly remembered reading the book a few years before.
dimness
noun [ U ] uk ​ /ˈdɪm.nəs/ us ​ /ˈdɪm.nəs/

Idiom(s)

dim and distant
the dim and distant past
take a dim view of sth

dimverb [ I or T ]

uk ​ /dɪm/ us ​ /dɪm/ -mm-

(Definition of “dim” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“dim” in American English

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dimadjective [ -er/-est only ]

us ​ /dɪm/ -mm-

› not bright; not giving or having much light:

A dim bulb provides the only light in the hall.

› Something that is dim is also not clear in your mind or memory or not likely to happen:

I had only a dim memory of a tall, slender man.
dimly
adverb us ​ /ˈdɪm·li/

›

a dimly lit hallway

dimverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /dɪm/ -mm-

› to become or make something less bright:

[ I ] In the middle of the storm, the lights suddenly dimmed.

(Definition of “dim” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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