Added 10 October 2026
dud
/dʌd/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dud at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile.
-
A failure of any kind. A loser; an unlucky person.
I got stuck with a seatmate who was a conversational dud.
-
A loser; an unlucky person.
I got stuck with a seatmate who was a conversational dud.
adjective
verb
Origin
From Middle English dudde (“cloak, mantle, kind of cloth; ragged clothing or cloth”), from Old English *dudda (attested only as personal name Dudda, part of modern English Dudley), akin to Old Norse dúði (“swaddling clothes”), Low German dudel. Possibly borrowed from the Old Norse word and related to dýja (“to shake, tremble”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)