Dummy meaning

dŭm'ē
The definition of a dummy is a fool, or a figure made to look like a person.

An example of a dummy is a person who makes the same silly mistake over and over again.

An example of a dummy is a figure used in seat belt testing.

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An imitation of a real or original object, intended to be used as a practical substitute.
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A silent or taciturn person.
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A character or other piece of information entered into a computer only to meet prescribed conditions, such as word length, and having no effect on operations.
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Simulating or replacing something but lacking its function.

A dummy pocket; a dummy medication in a study.

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Serving as a front or cover for another.

A dummy corporation.

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Played with a dummy.
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To make a model of (a publication or page).
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Entered or provided only to meet prescribed conditions.

A dummy variable.

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A stupid person; a dolt.
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An imitation or sham; substitute for the real thing, as an empty container or false drawer.
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A person secretly acting for another while apparently representing his or her own interests.
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A stupid person.
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Imitation; sham; fictitious.
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Secretly acting as a front for another.

A dummy corporation.

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Used only in the phrase dummy up, to refuse to talk or tell what one knows.
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A silent person; a person who does not talk.
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An unintelligent person.

Don't be such a dummy!

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A figure of a person or animal used by a ventriloquist; a puppet.
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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.

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A deliberately nonfunctional device or tool used in place of a functional one.

The hammer and drill in the display are dummies.

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(UK, New Zealand) A "dummy teat"; a plastic or rubber teat used to soothe or comfort a baby; a pacifier. [from 20th c.]

The baby wants her dummy.

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(card games, chiefly bridge) A player whose hand is shown and is to be played from by another player.
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(UK) A bodily gesture meant to fool an opposing player in sport; a feint.
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(linguistics) A word serving only to make a construction grammatical.

The pronoun "it" in "It's a mystery why this happened" is a dummy.

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(programming) An unused parameter or value.

If flag1 is false, the other parameters are dummies.

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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.

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Dummy means fake.

An example of dummy used as an adjective is in the phrase "dummy trap," which means a fake trap.

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A person unable to talk; mute.
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A figure made in human form, as for displaying clothing, for practicing tackling in football, etc.
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Origin of dummy

  • From dumb
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • From dumb +‎ -y.
    From Wiktionary

Dummy Sentence Examples

  • (Low power from 3 to 8; medium from 5 to 14; high from 7 to 21.) Each eyepiece is provided with a dummy eyepiece which comes opposite to the eye which is not observing and permits of it being kept open.

  • "I suppose I ought to give the wooden dummy a good start of me," growled Jim.

  • Why would Yancey have a dummy mail box?

  • Gabriel began to beat up the dummy again.

  • The fourth office is that of the deacons, who have to do with 1 " Tulchan," a calf-skin filled with straw, supposed to induce the cow to give milk freely; hence a term of contempt for one who is used as a dummy for the advantage of another.

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Also Mentioned In

Words near dummy in the Dictionary