dud

/dəd/

/dəd/

Other forms: duds

Something that doesn't work the way it's supposed to is a dud. A bomb or firework that doesn't explode is one kind of dud. A bad blind date is another kind.

When a bomb fails to explode, it's a dud. A long-planned surprise party that fails miserably when the guest of honor doesn't show up is another kind of dud. You can also refer to a person as a dud, if they're an utter failure or a complete flop: "The lead actor was a total dud. He couldn't really sing or dance and he seemed nervous." In the 1800s, a dud was "a person in ragged clothing," from dudde, "cloak or mantle."

Definitions of dud

1. noun

   an explosion that fails to occur
   synonyms: misfire

   type of:

   breakdown, equipment failure

   a cessation of normal operation
2. noun

   an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual
   “the meeting was a dud as far as new business was concerned”

   synonyms: bomb, turkey

   type of:

   bust, clunker, fizzle, flop

   a complete failure
3. noun

   someone who is unsuccessful
   synonyms: clunker, flop, washout

   type of:

   failure, loser, nonstarter, unsuccessful person

   a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently
4. adjective

   failing to detonate; especially not charged with an active explosive
   “he stepped on a dud mine”

   synonyms:

   unloaded

   (of weapons) not charged with ammunition