dumbbell

UK: /ˈdʌmbɛl/ US: /ˈdʌmˌbɛl/ ,(dum′bel′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dumb•bell /ˈdʌmˌbɛl/   n. [countable]

1. Sport a hand weight for exercising, made up of two heavy weights connected by a bar.
2. [Slang.] a stupid person.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dumb•bell  (dum′bel′), n. 

1. Sport a gymnastic apparatus consisting of two wooden or metal balls connected by a short bar serving as a handle, used as a weight for exercising.
2. a stupid person.

• dumb + bell¹ 1705–15

Synonyms

• 2. . dunce, ignoramus, fool, blockhead, dimwit.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dumbbell / ˈdʌmˌbɛl/ noun

1. an exercising weight consisting of a single bar with a heavy ball or disc at either end
2. a small wooden object shaped like this used in dog training for the dog to retrieve
3. a foolish person