dumpy

adjective

ˈdəm-pē How to pronounce dumpy (audio)
dumpier; dumpiest
Synonyms of dumpynext
1
: being short and thick in build : squat
2
: shabby, dingy
dumpily
ˈdəm-pə-lē How to pronounce dumpy (audio)
adverb
dumpiness
ˈdəm-pē-nəs How to pronounce dumpy (audio)
noun

Synonyms of dumpy

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Examples of dumpy in a Sentence

a dumpy guy in his forties dumpy little toddlers growing into lanky children
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Newsrooms are closing even faster, as downsized staffs take refuge at smaller, dumpier dumps. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2025 And this is in a nice, pretty on-campus facility, not the old, dumpy Astrodome (although the Astrodome is still up, which is another story). — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2026 At the start of the production, when Blanche arrives at her sister’s dumpy apartment, a lithe young man (Jabez Sykes) contorts himself in abstract choreography. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025 Torry’s candidly dumpy, dingy, dated, wood panel lined courtroom allowed for the placement of contemporary art and the banging of nails into walls which would have been forbidden in one of the ornate ground floor courtrooms. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for dumpy

Word History

Etymology

English dialect dump lump

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dumpy was in 1750

Phrases Containing dumpy

Rhymes for dumpy

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Browse Nearby Words

dump wagon
dumpy
dumpy level
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Cite this Entry

“Dumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumpy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

dumpy

adjective
ˈdəm-pē How to pronounce dumpy (audio)
dumpier; dumpiest
1
: short and thick in build : squat
2
: shabby sense 2b
dumpiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dumpy

Nglish: Translation of dumpy for Spanish Speakers

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