Word forms: plural dwarfs, plural dwarves, 3rd person singular presenttense dwarfs, present participle dwarfing, past tense, past participle dwarfed
1. verb
If one person or thing is dwarfed by another, the second is so much bigger than the first that it makes them look very small.
His figure is dwarfed by the huge red McDonald's sign. [beVERB-ed]
The U.S. air travel market dwarfs that of Britain. [VERB noun]
2. countable noun [with supplement]
Dwarf is used to describe a particular kind of star which is quite small and not very bright.
...a white dwarf star.
...a red dwarf.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Dwarf is used to describe varieties or species of plants and animals which are much smaller than the usual size for their kind.
...dwarf shrubs.
Synonyms: miniature, small, baby, tiny More Synonyms of dwarf
4. countable noun
In children's stories, a dwarf is an imaginary creature that is like a small person. Dwarfs often have magical powers.
5. countable noun
In former times, people who were much smaller than normal were called dwarfs.
[offensive, old-fashioned]
More Synonyms of dwarf
dwarf in British English
(dwɔːf)
nounWord forms: pluraldwarfs or dwarves (dwɔːvz)
1.
an unusually short person
2.
a.
an animal or plant much below the average height for the species
b.
(as modifier)
a dwarf tree
3.
(in folklore) a small ugly manlike creature, often possessing magical powers
4. astronomy short for dwarf star
verb
5.
to become or cause to become comparatively small in size, importance, etc
6. (transitive)
to stunt the growth of
Derived forms
dwarfish (ˈdwarfish)
adjective
dwarfishly (ˈdwarfishly)
adverb
dwarfishness (ˈdwarfishness)
noun
Word origin
Old English dweorg; related to Old Norse dvergr, Old High German twerc
dwarf in American English
(dwɔrf)
nounWord forms: pluraldwarfs or dwarves (dwɔrvz)
1.
any human being, animal, or plant that is much smaller than the usual one of its species
2. Folklore
a little being in human form, usually ugly or malformed, to whom magic powers are attributed
3.
a star of relatively small size or mass and low luminosity
see also white dwarf, black dwarf
verb transitive
4.
to keep from growing to full natural size
5.
to make small or insignificant
6.
to make seem small by comparison
verb intransitive
7.
to become stunted or dwarfed
adjective
8.
undersized; stunted
SYNONYMY NOTE: dwarf refers to any individual that is considerably smaller than the average for the speciesand sometimes implies malformation or disproportion of parts; , midget refers to a normally formed and proportioned, but diminutive, human being; , Pygmy strictly refers to a member of any of several small-sized African or Asiatic peoples,but it is sometimes used (written pygmy) as a synonym for dwarf or , midget
Derived forms
dwarfish (ˈdwarfish)
adjective
dwarfishness (ˈdwarfishness)
noun
dwarfism (ˈdwarfˌism)
noun
Word origin
ME dwerf, dwergh < OE dweorg, akin to Ger zwerg < IE *dhwergh-, prob. < base *dhwer-, to trick, injure > Sans dhvarati, (he) injures
Synonyms of 'dwarf'
gnome, midget, Lilliputian, Tom Thumb
miniature, small, baby, tiny
tower above or over, dominate, overlook, stand over
eclipse, tower above or over, put in the shade, diminish
stunt, check, lower, retard
More Synonyms of dwarf
In other languages
dwarf
British English: dwarf /dwɔːf/ NOUN
In children's stories, a dwarf is an imaginary creature that is like a small man. Dwarves often have magical powers.
American English: dwarf
Arabic: قَزَم
Brazilian Portuguese: anão
Chinese: 矮子
Croatian: patuljak
Czech: trpaslík
Danish: dværg
Dutch: dwerg
European Spanish: enano
Finnish: kääpiö
French: nain
German: Zwerg
Greek: νάνος
Italian: nano
Japanese: 小人
Korean: 난쟁이
Norwegian: dverg
Polish: karzeł
European Portuguese: anão
Romanian: pitic
Russian: карлик
Latin American Spanish: enano
Swedish: dvärg
Thai: คนแคระ
Turkish: cüce
Ukrainian: карлик
Vietnamese: chú lùn
British English: dwarf ADJECTIVE
Dwarf is used to describe varieties or species of plants and animals which are much smaller than the usual size for their kind.
...dwarf shrubs.
American English: dwarf
Brazilian Portuguese: anão
Chinese: 过于矮小的植物或动物
European Spanish: enano
French: nain
German: Zwerg-
Italian: nano
Japanese: 小型の
Korean: >작은정상 크기보다
European Portuguese: anão
Latin American Spanish: enano
British English: dwarf VERB
If one person or thing is dwarfed by another, the second is so much bigger than the first that it makes them look very small.
His figure is dwarfed by the huge red sign.
American English: dwarf
Brazilian Portuguese: ananicar
Chinese: 使…显得过于矮小
European Spanish: empequeñecer
French: écraser
German: überragen
Italian: far apparire piccolo
Japanese: 小さく見せる
Korean: 작아 보이다
European Portuguese: ananicar
Latin American Spanish: empequeñecer
All related terms of 'dwarf'
red dwarf
one of a class of small cool main-sequence stars
black dwarf
a cold , dark dwarf star
brown dwarf
a type of celestial body midway in mass between a large planet and a small star
dwarf bean
a small twining bushy or annual bean plant, Phaseolus vulgaris , with white or lilac flowers and slender green edible pods
dwarf male
a male animal that is much smaller, and often internally simpler , than its female counterpart . Dwarf males are commonly carried by the female, as in species of angler fish
dwarf star
any luminosity class V star , such as the sun, lying in the main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
white dwarf
one of a large class of small faint stars of enormous density (on average 10 8 kg/m 3 ) with diameters only about 1 per cent that of the sun, and masses less than the Chandrasekhar limit (about 1.4 solar masses). It is thought to mark the final stage in the evolution of a sun-like star
dwarf cornel
an arctic and subarctic cornaceous plant Cornus suecica , having small purple flowers surrounded by white petal-like bracts
dwarf mallow
a European malvaceous plant, Malva neglecta (or M. rotundifolia ), having rounded leaves and small pinkish-white flowers
dwarf planet
A dwarf planet is an object in space that is like a small planet but does not completely fit the technical description of a planet.
dwarf chestnut
the edible nut of the chinquapin tree
main-sequence star
any luminosity class V star , such as the sun, lying in the main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
anoa
the smallest of the cattle tribe Anoa depressicornis, having small straight horns and inhabiting the island of Celebes in Indonesia
sheep laurel
a small E North American plant ( Kalmia angustifolia ) of the heath family, with pinkish flowers and evergreen leaves poisonous to sheep and other animals
Barbados pride
a tropical African and Asian tree, Adenanthera pavonina , of the legume family, having feathery foliage and bearing red seeds that are used in beadwork
Chinese translation of 'dwarf'
dwarf
(dwɔːf)
Word forms:pldwarves (dwɔːvz)
n(c)
(in stories) 小矮人 (xiǎo'ǎirén) (个(個), gè)
(o.f., offensive, = small person) 矮子 (ǎizi)
adj
[shrub, plant etc]矮小的 (ǎixiǎo de)
vt
使相形见(見)绌(絀) (shǐ xiāng xíng jiàn chù)
(noun)
Definition
(in folklore) a small ugly manlike creature, often possessing magical powers
With the aid of magic the dwarfs created a wonderful rope.
Synonyms
gnome
midget
Lilliputian
Tom Thumb
munchkin (informal, mainly US)
homunculus
manikin
hop-o'-my-thumb
pygmy or pigmy
(adjective)
Definition
(of an animal or plant) much below the average size for the species
dwarf shrubs
Synonyms
miniature
The farm has been selling miniature roses since 1979.
small
She is small for her age.
baby
Serve with baby new potatoes.
tiny
Though she was tiny, she had a very loud voice.
pocket
dwarfed
diminutive
a diminutive figure stood at the entrance
petite
bonsai
pint-sized (informal)
Two pint-sized kids emerged from a doorway.
undersized
undersized and underweight babies
teeny-weeny
Lilliputian
His vocabulary has shrunk to Lilliputian proportions.
teensy-weensy
1 (verb)
Definition
to cause (someone or something) to seem small by being much larger
The huge sign dwarfed his figure.
Synonyms
tower above or over
dominate
The building dominates this whole place.
overlook
stand over
loom over
stand head and shoulders above
2 (verb)
completely dwarfing the achievements of others
Synonyms
eclipse
tower above or over
put in the shade
diminish
3 (verb)
Synonyms
stunt
check
Today's meeting must focus on checking the spread of violence.
lower
retard
Continuing violence will retard negotiations.
cultivate by bonsai
subject word lists
See Snow White's seven dwarfs
Additional synonyms
in the sense of baby
Definition
comparatively small of its type
Serve with baby new potatoes.
Synonyms
small,
little,
minute,
tiny,
mini,
wee,
miniature,
dwarf,
diminutive,
petite,
midget,
teeny (informal),
pocket-sized,
undersized,
teeny-weeny (informal),
Lilliputian,
teensy-weensy (informal),
pygmy or pigmy
in the sense of check
Definition
to slow the growth or progress of
Today's meeting must focus on checking the spread of violence.