/ dʌm; NAmE / adjective , verb
■ adjective ( dumb·er , dumb·est )
1.
( old-fashioned , sometimes offensive ) unable to speak :
She was born deaf and dumb .
HELP NOTE : Dumb used in this meaning is old-fashioned and can be offensive. It is better to use speech-impaired instead.
2.
temporarily not speaking or refusing to speak :
We were all struck dumb with amazement.
We sat there in dumb silence.
3.
( informal , especially NAmE ) stupid :
That was a pretty dumb thing to do.
If the police question you, act dumb (= pretend you do not know anything) .
In her early movies she played a dumb blonde .
► dumb·ly adverb :
'Are you all right?' Laura nodded dumbly.
► dumb·ness noun [ U ]
■ verb
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PHRASAL VERBS
- dumb down | dumb sth down
► ˌdumbing ˈdown noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English , of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse dumbr and Gothic dumbs mute, also to Dutch dom stupid and German dumm stupid.