I. ˈdəmp noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from Dutch domp exhalation, haze, from Middle Dutch damp, domp — more at damp
1. obsolete : a state of reverie or perplexity
2. : a dull gloomy state of mind : low spirits : despondency — now used in the plural chiefly in the phrase in the dumps
doleful dumps the mind oppress — Shakespeare
she will be there to cuddle him, praise him, help him out of his occasional dumps — H.A.Overstreet
she gets easily discouraged and down in the dumps
3. obsolete
a. : a slow mournful melody or song
b. : a dance to such music
Synonyms: see sadness
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : muse
2. obsolete : to be downcast and sad
transitive verb
obsolete : to cast into melancholy : grieve , sadden
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps back-formation from dumpling
1. dialect Britain : something thick, ill-shaped, or shapeless
dumps of soft paper … to arrest bleeding — B.H.Chamberlain
specifically : a small leaden counter used in such games as chuck-farthing
2.
a. : a coin that is small and very thick
b. : a small Australian silver coin bearing the words fifteen pence made from a piece cut from the center of a holey dollar
3. archaic : a short stout person
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: perhaps from Dutch dompen to immerse, tumble, topple; akin to Middle Low German dumpeln to duck, Old High German tumpfilo whirlpool, Old English dyppan to dip — more at dip
transitive verb
1.
a. : to let fall in a heap or mass : cast down or away
had proceeded to the wharf and had dumped the first shipload of tea into the harbor — C.G.Bowers
she dumped the contents of her purse onto the table
uncork the bottle and dump the stuff out — D.B.Chidsey
a hydraulic hoist to tip the truck body and dump the coal out
the conveyor dumped the dirt into self-discharging barges — N.M.Clark
b. : to get rid of unceremoniously (as if by dumping) : dispose of somewhat irresponsibly : jettison
France dumped her third government in a few months
captains of industry speedily dumped labor from their payrolls, and the breadlines grew — Stringfellow Barr
the indenture system offered huge profits to the masters of the vessels which dumped their human cargo on American shores — A.D.Graeff
the biggest problem that was ever dumped into his lap
2. slang : to hit hard : knock down : beat
dumped their attackers, who scrambled to their feet and fled
3. Australia : to compress and secure (wool) into bales
4. : to sell (commodities or securities) in quantity at a very low price ; specifically : to sell (surplus goods) abroad at less than the market price at home
some factory owners fear that the military will dump surplus goods on the market at cut-rate prices — New York Times
the union complained that foreign residual oil, dumped into this country with low import taxes, had displaced more than 30 million tons of coal production — Wall Street Journal
5. : to transfer (typeset matter) from stick to galley or galley to form or (as slugs) to bank ; often : to lay aside (dead matter) for distribution
intransitive verb
1. : to fall abruptly : plunge , drop
2. : to dump goods or refuse
no dumping allowed
V. noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
1.
a. : an accumulation of refuse or other discarded materials
the city dump caught fire
is now a resort town, but its former greatness shows in the tremendous dumps and the sprawling buildings of the Argo mine — G.R.Stewart
b. : a place where such materials are dumped
2.
a. : a quantity of supplies or reserve materials accumulated at one conveniently located but safe place
we have laid out dumps of food and petrol across the polar plateau — Edmund Hillary
b. : the place where such materials are stored: as
(1) : a place for the temporary storage of military supplies in the field
ammunition dump
(2) : the place in a composing room where dead matter is placed before it is distributed
3. : a disorderly, slovenly, or dilapidated place indoors or outdoors
instead of working in such a dump he could have been in his comfortable hotel room — Morley Callaghan
4. : something that has been dumped or deposited in a pile
fresh avalanche dumps contain large quantities of snow and ice, with occasional rock inclusions — R.L.Ives
5. : dump truck
6. : defecation — often considered vulgar
VI. transitive verb
1. : to copy (data in a computer's internal storage) to an external storage or output device
2. : to lose (a game or match) on purpose : throw
3. : to throw (as a pass) short and softly
dumped the ball to the fullback
— often used with off
•
- dump on
VII. noun
1. : an instance of dumping data stored in a computer
2. : a freestanding rack (as of cardboard) used as a promotional display for books