First Known Use: 1598
Dictionary
1dummy
noun dum·my \ˈdə-mē\
: a stupid person
: a doll that is shaped like and is as large as a person
: a copy of a finished object that is used during practice or training
plural dummies
Full Definition of DUMMY
1
a usually offensive : a person who is incapable of speaking b : a person who is habitually silent c : a stupid person
2
a : the exposed hand in bridge played by the declarer in addition to his or her own hand b : a bridge player whose hand is a dummy
3
: an imitation, copy, or likeness of something used as a substitute: as a : mannequin b : a stuffed figure or cylindrical bag used by football players for tackling and blocking practice c : a large puppet usually having movable features (as mouth and arms) manipulated by a ventriloquist d chiefly British : pacifier 2
4
: one seeming to act independently but in reality controlled by another
5
a : a mock-up of a proposed publication (as a book or magazine) b : a set of pages (as for a newspaper or magazine) with the position of text and artwork indicated for the printer
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Origin of DUMMY
1dumb + 4-y
Related to DUMMY
- Synonyms
- airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll (or clodpole), clot [British], cluck, clunk, cretin, cuddy (or cuddie) [British dialect], deadhead, dim bulb [slang], dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus [slang], dope, dork [slang], dullard, dumbbell, dumbhead, dum-dum, dummkopf, idiot, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead [chiefly dialect], loon, lump, lunkhead, meathead, mome [archaic], moron, mug [chiefly British], mutt, natural, nimrod [slang], nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit [chiefly British], nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull (or numbskull), oaf, pinhead, prat [British], ratbag [chiefly Australian], saphead, schlub (also shlub) [slang], schnook [slang], simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo
2dummy
adjective
: looking real but not functioning or able to be used
Full Definition of DUMMY
1
a : having the appearance of being real : artificial <dummy foods in the display case> b : existing in name only : fictitious <dummy corporations>
2
: apparently acting for oneself while really acting for or at the direction of another <a dummy director>
See dummy defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of DUMMY
1846
Related to DUMMY
Rhymes with DUMMY
3dummy
verb
dum·mieddum·my·ing
Definition of DUMMY
transitive verb
: to make a dummy of (as a publication) —often used with up <dummied up the front page>
First Known Use of DUMMY
circa 1928
DUMMY[1] Defined for Kids
dummy
noun dum·my \ˈdə-mē\
plural dummies
Definition of DUMMY for Kids
1
: something shaped like a human <a clothes store dummy>
2
: a doll used in a ventriloquist's act
3
: a stupid person
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