dimple

/ˈdɪmpəl/

/ˈdɪmpəl/

Other forms: dimpled; dimples; dimpling

A dimple is a small indentation in a surface. A dimple on your cheek is cute, but a dimple on your car door is not so cute.

A dimple can be an imperfection or tiny dent, but it's often a little cleft in a person's cheek or chin. People whose dimples show when they smile are particularly charming, and a dimpled chin is often considered quite handsome. One theory of the word's origin is that it meant "pothole" in Old English, from a Proto-Germanic root.

Definitions of dimple

1. noun

   any slight depression in a surface
   “there are approximately 336 dimples on a golf ball”

   type of:

   depression, impression, imprint

   a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
2. noun

   a small natural hollow in the cheek or chin
   “His dimple appeared whenever he smiled”

   type of:

   depression, impression, imprint

   a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
3. noun

   a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still attached
   synonyms: dimpled chad, pregnant chad

   type of:

   chad

   a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
4. verb

   mark with, or as if with, dimples
   “drops dimpled the smooth stream”

   type of:

   mark

   make or leave a mark on
5. verb

   produce dimples while smiling
   “The child dimpled up to the adults”

   type of:

   smile

   change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure