What does "dummy" mean?
A silent person; a person who does not talk.
Dummy
/ˈdʌmi/ adv, noun, verb, slang
adv, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A silent person; a person who does not talk.
- Grammar: dummy is listed as adv, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a nobody, a nothing, abc, ace.
- Useful contrasts: live, authentic, clever person.
- Usage evidence: The corporation set up a dummy company.
How to use "dummy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dummy" 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 "dummy" 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 "dummy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dummy" 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 "dummy" is acting as adv, noun, verb, 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 "a nobody" 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 "dummy", 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 silent person; a person who does not talk. dated
"The man's name […] was engraved in the centre, and beneath this, written in ink with the same elaborate precision as the engraving, there was a brief message. I am a deaf-mute, but I read the lips and understand what is said to me. Please do not shout. […] Singer looked very carefully at his lips when he spoke—he had noticed that before. But a dummy!"
- 2 a cartridge containing an explosive charge but no bullet wordnet
- 3 A stupid person.
"Don't be such a dummy!"
- 4 a figure representing the human form wordnet
- 5 A term of address. slang
"Hey dummy, what's good wit chu?"
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 an ignorant or foolish person wordnet
- 7 A figure of a person or animal used by a ventriloquist; a puppet.
- 8 a person who does not talk wordnet
- 9 Something constructed with the size and form of a human, to be used in place of a person.
"To understand the effects of the accident, we dropped a dummy from the rooftop."
- 10 A person who is the mere tool of another; a man of straw.
- 11 A deliberately nonfunctional device or tool used in place of a functional one.
"The hammer and drill in the display are dummies."
- 12 A pacifier; a plastic or rubber teat used to soothe or comfort a baby. Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK
"The baby wants her dummy."
- 13 A player whose hand is shown and is to be played from by another player.
- 14 A word serving only to make a construction grammatical.
"The pronoun "it" in "It's a mystery why this happened" is a dummy."
- 15 An unused parameter or value.
"If flag1 is false, the other parameters are dummies."
- 16 A feigned pass or kick or play in order to deceive an opponent.
- 17 A bodily gesture meant to fool an opposing player; a feint. UK
"Raul Meireles was the victim of the home side's hustling on this occasion giving the ball away to the impressive David Vaughan who slipped in Taylor-Fletcher. The striker sold Daniel Agger with the best dummy of the night before placing his shot past keeper Pepe Reina."
- 18 A newborn animal that is indifferent to stimulus and does not voluntarily move. attributive
"a dummy calf, lamb, or foal"
- 19 A fairy chess piece that cannot move or capture, but can be captured and used to skip moving another piece.
"In Monochromatic chess moves are only allowed between cells of the same colour. Thus the kings are reduced to ferses, the rooks to dabbabariders, and the knights to dummies. […] The fers and camel can reach all the cells of one colour. The others are more restricted; the dummy cannot move at all, and the commuter can only move back and forth between two cells."
Verb
- 1 To make a mock-up or prototype version of something, without some or all off its intended functionality.
"The carpenters dummied some props for the rehearsals."
- 2 make a dummy of wordnet
- 3 To feint.
"The more glamorous qualities usually associated with him are skill and pace and he used those to race on to a ball across him and dummy a defender before having a right-foot shot saved."
Adjective
- 1 having the appearance of being real but lacking capacity to function wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Extremely. US, slang
"It's dummy hot outside."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The corporation set up a dummy company."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dummy"?
Common synonyms include: a nobody, a nothing, abc, ace, adherent, advocate.
How do you use "dummy" in a sentence?
The corporation set up a dummy company.
How do you pronounce "dummy"?
Pronounced /ˈdʌmi/.
Etymology
From dumb + -y. Pacifier sense from dummy teat where dummy is in the sense of a nonfunctional replica.