overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

dimple.

A small depression or indentation in a surface.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈdɪm.pəl/General-American, Received-Pronunciation

  1. A small depression or indentation in a surface.

    The accident created a dimple in the hood of the car.

  2. A small depression or indentation in a surface. A small natural depression on the skin, especially on the face near the corners of the mouth.

    You have very cute dimples.

  3. A small depression or indentation in a surface. A small depression, made with a punch on a metal object, as a guide for further drilling.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- Proto-Germanic *dumpaz Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz Proto-West Germanic *dumpil Old English *dympel Middle English dimpel English dimple From Middle English dimpel, dimpil, dympull, from Old English *dympel (“pit, depression”), from Proto-West Germanic *dumpil, from Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz (“sink-hole, dimple”), from Proto-Germanic *dumpaz (“hole, hollow, pit”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- (“deep, hollow”), equivalent to dialectal dump (“deep hole, pool”) + -le (diminutive suffix). Cognate with German Low German Dümpel, German Tümpel (“pond, pool”). Related also to Old English dyppan (“to dip”).

verb/ˈdɪm.pəl/General-American, Received-Pronunciation

  1. To form a small indentation in (something).

    transitive
    The hailstorm dimpled the roof of our car.

  2. To form a small indentation in (something). To form a dimple (noun sense 1.1) in one's face by smiling.

    intransitive · transitive
    The young girl dimpled in glee as she was handed a cupcake.

  3. To form a small indentation in (something). To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- Proto-Germanic *dumpaz Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz Proto-West Germanic *dumpil Old English *dympel Middle English dimpel English dimple From Middle English dimpel, dimpil, dympull, from Old English *dympel (“pit, depression”), from Proto-West Germanic *dumpil, from Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz (“sink-hole, dimple”), from Proto-Germanic *dumpaz (“hole, hollow, pit”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- (“deep, hollow”), equivalent to dialectal dump (“deep hole, pool”) + -le (diminutive suffix). Cognate with German Low German Dümpel, German Tümpel (“pond, pool”). Related also to Old English dyppan (“to dip”).

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

dimple has 6 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

dimple studiodimple workshello, dimple

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.