Dumb vs. Dum — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Dumb and Dum
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Compare with Definitions
Dumb
Lacking the power of speech. Used of animals and inanimate objects.
Dum
Cooked with steam
Dumb
(Offensive) Incapable of using speech; mute. Used of humans. See Usage Note at mute.
Dumb
Temporarily speechless, as with shock or fear
I was dumb with disbelief.
Dumb
Unwilling to speak; taciturn.
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Dumb
Not expressed or articulated in sounds or words
Dumb resentment.
Dumb
(Nautical) Not self-propelling.
Dumb
Conspicuously unintelligent; stupid
Dumb officials.
A dumb decision.
Dumb
Unintentional; haphazard
Dumb luck.
Dumb
To make silent or dumb.
Dumb
(dated) Unable to speak; lacking power of speech (kept in "deaf, dumb, and blind").
His younger brother was born dumb, and communicated with sign language.
Dumb
(dated) Silent; unaccompanied by words.
Dumb show
Dumb
Extremely stupid.
You are so dumb! You don't even know how to make toast!
Dumb
(figuratively) Pointless, foolish, lacking intellectual content or value.
This is dumb! We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
Brendan had the dumb job of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
Dumb
Lacking brightness or clearness, as a colour.
Dumb
To silence.
Dumb
(transitive) To make stupid.
Dumb
(transitive) To represent as stupid.
Dumb
(transitive) To reduce the intellectual demands of.
Dumb
Destitute of the power of speech; unable; to utter articulate sounds; as, the dumb brutes.
To unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures.
Dumb
Not willing to speak; mute; silent; not speaking; not accompanied by words; as, dumb show.
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
To pierce into the dumb past.
Dumb
Lacking brightness or clearness, as a color.
Her stern was painted of a dumb white or dun color.
Dumb
To put to silence.
Dumb
Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity;
So dense he never understands anything I say to him
Never met anyone quite so dim
Although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick
Dumb officials make some really dumb decisions
He was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse
Worked with the slow students
Dumb
Unable to speak temporarily;
Struck dumb
Speechless with shock
Dumb
Lacking the power of human speech;
Dumb animals
Dumb
Unable to speak because of hereditary deafness
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