What does "dud" mean?
A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile.
Dud
/dʌd/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile.
- Grammar: dud is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: flop, abortion, abortive attempt, also ran.
- Useful contrasts: boffo, popular song, armed ordnance.
- Usage evidence: That movie turned out to be a dud.
How to use "dud"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dud" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dud" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dud" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dud" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dud" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "flop" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dud", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile. informal
"The only amusing highlight was Gudgeon having managed to exploit U.S. codebreaking efforts to ambush and destroy the submarine I-173, albeit not for the lack of the Mark 14's trying to sabotage the effort, as the torpedo that had hit the sub had refused to detonate; it seemed, however, that the car-crash levels of kinetic energy involved in the dud simply ramming the sub had nonetheless done enough to fatally damage it."
- 2 an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual wordnet
- 3 A failure of any kind. informal
"At the end of the day, the vast majority of primary schools are vibrant, friendly places and you may struggle to choose one because they all seem so great. Primary schools tend to have the feelgood factor. If you just aren't feeling it, this one's probably a dud."
- 4 an explosion that fails to occur wordnet
- 5 A failure of any kind.; A loser; an unlucky person. informal
""Now you can't fool me. Tom, I'm not one o' those duds that pay you a thick 'un for an hour in the dark.""
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 someone who is unsuccessful wordnet
- 7 A failure of any kind.; A lottery ticket that does not give a payout. informal
- 8 Clothes, now always used in plural form duds. informal, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Useless; failing; ineffective. not-comparable
"[…] they're flying in the duddest of dud weather to hold the Germans back."
Adjective
- 1 failing to detonate; especially not charged with an active explosive wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"That movie turned out to be a dud."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dud"?
Common synonyms include: flop, abortion, abortive attempt, also ran, also-ran, array.
How do you use "dud" in a sentence?
That movie turned out to be a dud.
How do you pronounce "dud"?
Pronounced /dʌd/.
Etymology
From Middle English dudde (“cloak, mantle, kind of cloth; ragged clothing or cloth”), from Old English *dudda (attested only as personal name Dudda, part of modern English Dudley), akin to Old Norse dúði (“swaddling clothes”), Low German dudel. Possibly borrowed from the Old Norse word and related to dýja (“to shake, tremble”).