Word.ws English Dictionary

in the dumps

in the dumps is the alternative form of down in the dumps.

Meaning of down in the dumps

Adjective

down in the dumps (comparative more down in the dumps, superlative most down in the dumps)

  1. (idiomatic) Sad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
    • "You've got down in the dumps and can't see what's sensible and to your own advantage."1886, Edward Payson Roe, chapter 2, in He Fell In Love With His Wife

Questions about in the dumps

What is in the dumps the alternative form of?
In the dumps is the alternative form of down in the dumps.

Words near in the dumps in the dictionary

  1. in the dogbox
  2. in the doghouse
  3. in the drink
  4. in the driver's seat
  5. in the driving seat
  6. in the dumps
  7. in the ear
  8. in the end
  9. in the event
  10. in the event of
  11. in the event that

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: in the dumps (page history and authors); down in the dumps (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “in the dumps.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/in_the_dumps. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.