How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. R. W. Holder. 2014.
dumb down — phrasal verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms dumb down : present tense I/you/we/they dumb down he/she/it dumbs down present participle dumbing down past tense dumbed down past participle dumbed down to make something simpler and easier to… … English dictionary
dumb down — PHRASAL VERB If you dumb down something, you make it easier for people to understand, especially when this spoils it. [V P n] This sounded like a case for dumbing down the magazine, which no one favored. [Also V n P, V] Derived words: dumbing… … English dictionary
dumb down — verb a) To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending. The public wont understand this concept. We need to dumb down our explanation of it. b) To… … Wiktionary
Dumb down — 1. act dumber than one is: She deliberately dumbed down because she didn t want to seem a smart arse ; 2. amend for a less intellectual audience: to dumb down a speech ; 3. make (a country) less intellectual by discouraging intellectualism,… … Dictionary of Australian slang
dumb down — Australian Slang 1. act dumber than one is: She deliberately dumbed down because she didn t want to seem a smart arse ; 2. amend for a less intellectual audience: to dumb down a speech ; 3. make (a country) less intellectual by discouraging… … English dialects glossary
dumb down — transitive verb Date: 1933 to lower the level of difficulty and the intellectual content of (as a textbook); also to lower the general level of intelligence in < the dumbing down of society > … New Collegiate Dictionary
dumb something down or dumb down — informal make or become less intellectually challenging. → dumb … English new terms dictionary
dumb down — v. (Slang) simplify complex information to make it more easily understandable, lower the intellectual level of something (such as a book) … English contemporary dictionary
dumb down — transitive verb : to lower the level of difficulty and the intellectual content of (as a textbook) … Useful english dictionary
dumb´ness — dumb «duhm», adjective, verb. –adj. 1. not able to speak: »dumb animals. Helen Keller learned to speak; she was blind and deaf but not dumb. 2. silenced for the moment by fear, surprise, shyness, or other emotion: »She was struck dumb with… … Useful english dictionary
