Dimple
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A small depression or indentation in a surface.
"The accident created a dimple in the hood of the car."
- 2 a small natural hollow in the cheek or chin wordnet
- 3 Specifically, a small natural depression on the skin, especially on the face near the corners of the mouth.
"You have very cute dimples."
- 4 any slight depression in a surface wordnet
- 5 A small depression, made with a punch on a metal object, as a guide for further drilling.
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- 6 a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still attached wordnet
- 1 To create a dimple in. transitive
"The hailstorm dimpled the roof of our car."
- 2 produce dimples while smiling wordnet
- 3 To create a dimple in one's face by smiling. intransitive
"The young girl dimpled in glee as she was handed a cupcake."
- 4 mark with, or as if with, dimples wordnet
- 5 To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.
"And smiling eddies dimpled o'er the main."
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The little boy with a dimple in his chin is so cute!"
Etymology
From Middle English dimpel, dimpil, dympull, from Old English *dympel, from Proto-West Germanic *dumpil, from Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz (“sink-hole, dimple”), from Proto-Germanic *dumpaz (“hole, hollow, pit”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- (“deep, hollow”), equivalent to dialectal dump (“deep hole or pool”) + -le (diminutive suffix). Akin to German Low German Dümpel, German Tümpel (“pond, pool”). Related also to Old English dyppan (“to dip”).