Meaning & use
dimple
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Meanings
nouncountable
A small dent in the skin, especially on the cheek or chin, that often shows when a person smiles.
Grammar: Countable: a dimple, two dimples.
Patterns
- a dimple in something
- dimples in someone's cheeks
The baby's smile showed a deep dimple in each cheek.
She has a dimple in her chin just like her father.
Dimples appeared whenever he tried not to laugh.
nouncountable
Any small hollow or dent on a surface, such as on a golf ball or in soft ground.
Grammar: Countable: the dimples on a golf ball.
Patterns
- a dimple in something
Golf balls have small dimples that help them fly farther.
The raindrops left tiny dimples in the sand.
A dimple in the pillow showed where she had rested her head.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To form a small hollow, especially in the cheeks, or to make such hollows appear.
Grammar: Often used without an object: her cheeks dimpled.
Patterns
- dimple when someone smiles
Her cheeks dimpled whenever she laughed.
A light breeze dimpled the surface of the pond.
His chin dimples when he grins.
Word forms
| plural | dimples |
|---|---|
| third person singular | dimples |
| past tense | dimpled |
| past participle | dimpled |
| -ing form | dimpling |
Common combinations
- deep dimple
- A deep dimple appeared on his left cheek.
- dimple in the chin
- The actor was known for the dimple in his chin.
- cheek dimples
- Her cheek dimples made her smile memorable.
- dimpled smile
- The child gave a dimpled smile to the camera.
- dimple on a golf ball
- Each dimple on a golf ball reduces air drag.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dent
- Dent usually suggests damage from a blow, while dimple is a small, often pleasing, natural hollow.
- hollow
- Hollow is a wider, larger-scale word, whereas dimple names a tiny hollow.
- depression
- Depression is a flatter, technical word for a sunken area and sounds less friendly than dimple.
- indentation
- Indentation is a formal word for any pressed-in mark, without the idea of charm that dimple carries.
Opposites
Word family
- dimpled adjective
- having dimples
- dimpling noun
- the forming of small hollows
- dimply adjective
- marked with dimples
Commonly confused: dimple or pimple?
dimple vs pimple
A pimple is a small raised spot on the skin, whereas a dimple is a small sunken hollow.
Practice
Which sentence uses dimple as a verb?
Choose one answer.
In Her cheeks dimpled, dimple is the action the cheeks perform. In the others it is a noun naming the hollow.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dimple”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.