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Definition of "dumbbell" [dumb•bell]

  • A weight consisting of a short bar with a metal ball or disk at each end that is lifted for muscular development and exercise. (noun)
  • Slang A stupid person; a dolt. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "dumbbell" in a sentence
  • "Northgate included a single department store, but the standard arrangement, called a dumbbell plan, had two department stores, one at each end of a pedestrian promenade."
  • "In one small case, you can create up to two fifteen-pound dumbbells or one thirty-pound dumbbell, which is what you will soon need."
  • "Together, the two ends of the dumbbell were a pair of magnetic dipoles and opposites of each other, but were separated by a significant distance."