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Definition of "dismay" []

  • To destroy the courage or resolution of by exciting dread or apprehension. (verb-transitive)
  • To cause to lose enthusiasm; disillusion: was dismayed to learn that her favorite dancer used drugs. (verb-transitive)
  • To upset or alarm. (verb-transitive)
  • A sudden or complete loss of courage in the face of trouble or danger. (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 "dismay" in a sentence
  • "So one day I´m working on the inland side of the house and I hear this shouting in dismay from the ocean side so I walked through the house and there was my wife shouting at the sea, Just shut the hell up will you?"
  • "While New York celebrated this win, Carolina defenseman Mike Commodore watched in dismay from the penalty box."
  • "As he ate he spoke, and his first words provoked an exclamation of dismay from the Frenchman, which was hastily smothered with a murmured apology, and then Diana became aware that others had come into the room."