3 → see also dwelling
dwell|er /dwe lə r / (dwellers ) N‑COUNT A city dweller or slum dweller , for example, is a person who lives in the kind of place or house indicated. □ The number of city dwellers is growing.
dwell|ing /dwe l I ŋ/ (dwellings ) N‑COUNT A dwelling or a dwelling place is a place where someone lives. [FORMAL ] □ Some 3,500 new dwellings are planned for the area.
dwelt /dwe lt/ Dwelt is the past tense and past participle of dwell .
dwin|dle /dw I nd ə l/ (dwindles , dwindling , dwindled ) VERB If something dwindles , it becomes smaller, weaker, or less in number. □ [V ] The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 4,000 to a few hundred. □ [V -ing] He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority.
dye /da I / (dyes , dyeing , dyed )
1 VERB If you dye something such as hair or cloth, you change its colour by soaking it in a special liquid. □ [V n] The women prepared, spun and dyed the wool.
2 N‑VAR Dye is a substance made from plants or chemicals which is mixed into a liquid and used to change the colour of something such as cloth or hair. □ …bottles of hair dye.
dy ed-in-the-woo l ADJ [ADJ n] If you use dyed-in-the-wool to describe someone or their beliefs, you are saying that they have very strong opinions about something, which they refuse to change. □ …a dyed-in-the-wool conservative.
dy|ing /da I I ŋ/
1 Dying is the present participle of die .
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A dying person or animal is very ill and likely to die soon. □ …a dying man. ● N‑PLURAL The dying are people who are dying. □ The dead and the dying were everywhere.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] You use dying to describe something which happens at the time when someone dies, or is connected with that time. □ It'll stay in my mind till my dying day.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] The dying days or dying minutes of a state of affairs or an activity are its last days or minutes. □ The islands were seized by the Soviet army in the dying days of the second world war.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] A dying tradition or industry is becoming less important and is likely to disappear completely. □ Shipbuilding is a dying business.
dyke /da I k/ (dykes ) The spelling dike is also used, especially for meaning 1 . 1 N‑COUNT A dyke is a thick wall that is built to stop water flooding onto very low-lying land from a river or from the sea.
2 N‑COUNT A dyke is a lesbian. [INFORMAL , OFFENSIVE ]
dy|nam|ic /da I næ m I k/ (dynamics )
1 ADJ If you describe someone as dynamic , you approve of them because they are full of energy or full of new and exciting ideas. [APPROVAL ] □ He seemed a dynamic and energetic leader. ● dy|nami|cal|ly /da I næ m I kli/ ADV [ADV adj/-ed, ADV after v] □ He's one of the most dynamically imaginative jazz pianists still functioning.
2 ADJ If you describe something as dynamic , you approve of it because it is very active and energetic. [APPROVAL ] □ South Asia continues to be the most dynamic economic region in the world.
3 ADJ A dynamic process is one that constantly changes and progresses. □ …a dynamic, evolving worldwide epidemic. ● dy|nami|cal|ly ADV [usu ADV adj/-ed] □ Germany has a dynamically growing market at home.
4 N‑COUNT The dynamic of a system or process is the force that causes it to change or progress. □ The dynamic of the market demands constant change and adjustment.
5 N‑PLURAL The dynamics of a situation or group of people are the opposing forces within it that cause it to change. □ …the dynamics of the social system.
6 N‑UNCOUNT Dynamics are forces which produce power or movement. [TECHNICAL ]
7 N‑UNCOUNT Dynamics is the scientific study of motion, energy, and forces.
dy|na|mism /da I nəm I zəm/
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone or something has dynamism , you are expressing approval of the fact that they are full of energy or full of new and exciting ideas. [APPROVAL ] □ …a situation that calls for dynamism and new thinking.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to the dynamism of a situation or system, you are referring to the fact that it is changing in an exciting and dramatic way. [APPROVAL ] □ Such changes are indicators of economic dynamism.
dy|na|mite /da I nəma I t/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Dynamite is a type of explosive that contains nitroglycerin. □ Fifty yards of track was blown up with dynamite.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you describe a piece of information as dynamite , you think that people will react strongly to it. [INFORMAL ] □ Her diaries are political dynamite.
3 N‑UNCOUNT If you describe someone or something as dynamite , you think that they are exciting. [INFORMAL , APPROVAL ] □ The first kiss is dynamite.
dy|na|mo /da I nəmoʊ/ (dynamos ) N‑COUNT A dynamo is a device that uses the movement of a machine or vehicle to produce electricity.
dy|nas|tic /d I næ st I k, [AM ] dain-/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Dynastic means typical of or relating to a dynasty. □ …dynastic rule.
dyn|as|ty /d I nəsti, [AM ] da I n-/ (dynasties )
1 N‑COUNT A dynasty is a series of rulers of a country who all belong to the same family. □ The Seljuk dynasty of Syria was founded in 1094.
2 N‑COUNT A dynasty is a period of time during which a country is ruled by members of the same family. □ …carvings dating back to the Ming dynasty.