dummy

en
en
Change language
Translating...
Find language
Français
French
Español
Spanish
Deutsch
German
Português
Portuguese
Русский
Russian
/ˈdʌmi/
Add to My Dictionary
In My Dictionary
+1
A stand-in or fake thing, a word for a foolish, silent, or controlled person, a British baby pacifier, a bridge hand, and verbs for making a mock-up or fooling an opponent in sport.
Practice using dummy in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Do not be a dummy, read the warning first.
  • The shell company used a dummy director on the paperwork.
  • The thieves ignored the dummy camera above the door.
  • The striker dummied the pass and let the ball run through.
  • A strong dummy made the contract easy to play.

Similar words

dummy hand
exposed hand
dope
binky
nitwit
proxy
fake
sidestep
imitation
declarer's partner

Meanings

Substitute model or copy

noun
everyday
neutral
A made object that stands in for a real person or thing, used for display, testing, practice, performance, or planning.

Examples

  • The store window displayed a dummy in a winter coat.
  • Engineers put a crash-test dummy in the driver's seat.
  • The ventriloquist lifted the dummy onto his knee.
  • The soldiers trained with a dummy grenade.
  • The designer made a dummy of the magazine before printing began.

Similar words

stand-in
model
mock-up
mannequin
replica
imitation

Artificial or placeholder

adjective
everyday
neutral
Made to look real, to serve as a trial, or to fill a role without being the genuine thing.

Examples

  • The thieves ignored the dummy camera above the door.
  • The team carried out a dummy run before the live broadcast.
  • Researchers gave the control group a dummy pill.
  • The shell company used a dummy director on the paperwork.
  • The model included a dummy variable for each region.

Similar words

fake
mock
placeholder
trial
imitation
fictitious

Foolish person

noun
social
informal
A silly or unintelligent person, usually as a mild insult but still rude in direct address.

Examples

  • Do not be a dummy, read the warning first.
  • He felt like a dummy after locking his keys in the car.
  • Only a dummy would ignore that flashing red light.
  • She called herself a dummy for missing the obvious clue.
  • The joke made him look like a dummy, but no one meant real harm.

Similar words

fool
idiot
dunce
nitwit
blockhead
dope

Silent or controlled person

noun
social
archaic
A person who says or does nothing, or who appears independent while secretly acting for someone else. Older use for a person unable to speak is offensive.

Examples

  • He sat on the board as a dummy and signed whatever he was given.
  • Investigators claimed the buyer was only a dummy for the real owner.
  • The old novel uses dummy as an offensive word for a person unable to speak.
  • The committee wanted a dummy, not an independent director.
  • She refused to act as a dummy for someone else's scheme.

Similar words

front
proxy
figurehead
nominee
puppet
silent partner

Baby pacifier

noun
parenting
neutral
A rubber or plastic teat given to a baby to suck for comfort, mainly in British and related varieties of English.

Examples

  • The baby spat out her dummy and began to cry.
  • He sterilised the dummy before giving it back to the toddler.
  • Some parents use a dummy to help a baby settle at night.
  • The nursery kept a spare dummy in the changing bag.
  • She dropped the dummy under the cot.

Similar words

pacifier
soother
comforter
teat
binky

Exposed bridge hand

noun
games
technical
In bridge and some card games, the declarer's partner or that partner's exposed hand, played by the declarer.

Examples

  • After the opening lead, the dummy placed all thirteen cards on the table.
  • Declarer won the trick in dummy with the ace.
  • The defenders could see every card in dummy.
  • She crossed to dummy to lead a heart.
  • A strong dummy made the contract easy to play.

Similar words

exposed hand
declarer's partner
dummy hand

Make a mock-up

verb
publishing
neutral
To make or place something in a trial layout, especially a publication, design, or interface.

Examples

  • The art director dummied up the front page before the meeting.
  • We dummied in the photographs to test the spacing.
  • The team will dummy a brochure for the client review.
  • She dummied the chapter openings with blank boxes.
  • They are dummying the app screens before the final copy arrives.

Similar words

mock up
lay out
prototype
sketch
block out
model

Feint in sport

verb
sport
neutral
To pretend to kick, pass, receive, or move one way in order to mislead an opponent.

Examples

  • The striker dummied the pass and let the ball run through.
  • She dummied left before cutting inside the defender.
  • The fly-half dummied a kick and broke through the line.
  • He tried to dummy the goalkeeper at the near post.
  • The defender froze when the winger dummied the cross.

Similar words

feint
fake
deceive
sidestep
sell
wrong-foot

Etymology

Formed from dumb plus -y, first used as a noun in the late sixteenth century and later extended to artificial substitutes, mock-ups, and feints.

FAQ

What does dummy mean?

Dummy can mean a stand-in model or copy, a fake or placeholder item, a foolish person, a British pacifier, a bridge hand, or a sports feint.

Is dummy rude?

Dummy is rude when it means a foolish person, and its older use for someone unable to speak is offensive.

What is a dummy in British English?

In British English, a dummy is often a baby's pacifier, as well as a model or stand-in.

What is a dummy variable?

A dummy variable is a placeholder indicator, usually coded 0 or 1, that represents a category in a model.

What is a dummy in bridge?

In bridge, dummy is the declarer's partner or that partner's exposed hand, which the declarer plays.

Can dummy be an adjective?

Yes. Dummy can describe something fake, trial, placeholder, or nominal, as in dummy camera, dummy run, or dummy company.

What is the past tense of dummy?

The past tense is dummied, and the present participle is dummying.

What does dummy mean in sport?

In sport, to dummy is to feint, pretending to pass, kick, receive, or move one way to mislead an opponent.

Where does dummy come from?

Dummy comes from dumb plus -y, with early uses tied to silence before the word broadened to stand-ins and fake things.

Comments & contributions

Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
Posting as a guest · Sign in
No comments yet. Be the first to add one.
Look up word or phrase...