often attributive
1
sometimes offensive
: a person of unusually small stature (see stature sense 1)
especially
: a person whose height does not exceed 4' 10" and is typically less than 4' 5"
2
: an animal or plant much below normal size
3
folklore
: a small legendary manlike being who is usually misshapen and ugly and skilled as a craftsman
4
astronomy
: a celestial object of comparatively small mass or size: such as
a
: a star of ordinary or low luminosity
The outer layers of a swollen elderly red giant star were pouring onto the photosphere of a vigorous … yellow dwarf, something like the Sun.—
Carl Sagan
compare giant sense 4, supergiant
Carl Sagan
b
: a galaxy containing a relatively low number of stars
Harlow Shapley discovered the first examples of dwarf satellite galaxies in 1938, one in the constellation Sculptor and one in Fornax.—Astronomy
Astronomy5
: an insignificant person
a literary dwarf
dwarfishly
adverb
dwarfishness
noun
dwarfed; dwarfing; dwarfs
1
: to cause to appear smaller or to seem inferior
dwarfed by his older brother
has dwarfed the achievements of her predecessors
2
: to restrict the growth of : stunt
children dwarfed by malnutrition
: to become smaller
of a plant
: low-growing in habit
a dwarf peach tree
dwarfer forms of citrus
Synonyms
Examples of dwarf in a Sentence
Noun
Shetland ponies are the dwarfs of the horse world.
Snow White and the seven dwarfs.
Verb
shrubs dwarfed by the lack of water
Recent Examples on the WebRobert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.
—Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2023
Other dwarf boas have been identified elsewhere in South America and the West Indies, but none had ever been found in the region where Bentley spotted this one.
—Kate Golembiewski, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
Luggage lined up in Dallas terminals like dwarf soldiers in a nightmare reveille.
—Dan Zak, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2022
And stashed inside a bin below the gallon jars: an African dwarf crocodile.
—Dallas News, 3 Nov. 2022
Some of those moons, like Europa, Callisto and Ganymede around Jupiter, Enceladus around Saturn and Triton around Uranus and even dwarf planets like Pluto are covered in ice layers that might be hundreds of miles thick.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2022
Plant dwarf varieties in containers and bring them inside over the winter to enjoy them year-round.
—Katarina Avendano, Good Housekeeping, 8 July 2022
There are a few genetic-dwarf varieties which stay smaller than varieties dwarfed by grafting, such as certain peaches and apples, but root spread limited by a container may restrain their growth even more.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2022
Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Those figures dwarf previous years – and the numbers continue to rise.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
At $78 billion, Evergrande’s alleged fraud dwarfs the accounting scandal from fellow Chinese company Luckin Coffee (at $300 million), or the revelations that Enron inflated profits by $600 million and that Worldcom engaged in $11 billion worth of financial fraud, according to Bloomberg.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 19 Mar. 2024
The colossal ship is 1,198 feet long, dwarfing the Titanic, which was 882.9 feet long.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
This increase dwarfs the city of San Diego’s minimum wage of $16.85 and puts pressure on other employers to follow suit.
—Jim Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Two-thirds of the league’s teams were effectively insolvent, their liabilities dwarfing their assets.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Other mechanisms to enforce California labor laws are insufficient on their own, including wage claims and whistleblower complaints investigated by state agencies, the report argues, because the sheer number of labor violations dwarfs the state’s capacity to enforce them.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
The $40 billion target would dwarf the typical amounts raised by U.S. venture capital firms and would be eclipsed only by SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate that has long been the world’s largest investor in start-ups.
—Rob Copeland, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024
Researchers did not do a DNA analysis of the new species because of a lack of DNA data from other species of dwarf gecko.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
There are plants considered to be dwarf varieties of their parents, such as Japanese Maples.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 13 Jan. 2024
What’s more, the galaxy also had a low mass, similar to a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way known as the Small Magellanic Cloud — which is still forming new stars.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
The stars in dwarf galaxies that entered the Milky Way a few billion years ago have been flung far from their galactic cores.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023
The team estimates that Nube is a dwarf galaxy only one-tenth as bright as others of its type, yet 10 times larger than other galaxies with a comparable number of stars.
—Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Beginning around six billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy named Sagittarius sideswiped the Milky Way and swung around it.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024
Based on data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, this study has found that many dwarf galaxies that were orbiting the Milky Way only a few billion years ago have ended up destroyed after being pulled in by our much more massive galaxy.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023
Noun
Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.
—Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.
—Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2023
Other dwarf boas have been identified elsewhere in South America and the West Indies, but none had ever been found in the region where Bentley spotted this one.
—Kate Golembiewski, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
Luggage lined up in Dallas terminals like dwarf soldiers in a nightmare reveille.
—Dan Zak, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2022
And stashed inside a bin below the gallon jars: an African dwarf crocodile.
—Dallas News, 3 Nov. 2022
Some of those moons, like Europa, Callisto and Ganymede around Jupiter, Enceladus around Saturn and Triton around Uranus and even dwarf planets like Pluto are covered in ice layers that might be hundreds of miles thick.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2022
Plant dwarf varieties in containers and bring them inside over the winter to enjoy them year-round.
—Katarina Avendano, Good Housekeeping, 8 July 2022
There are a few genetic-dwarf varieties which stay smaller than varieties dwarfed by grafting, such as certain peaches and apples, but root spread limited by a container may restrain their growth even more.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2022
Verb
Either way, adjusted for today’s population, the Wide Awakes comprised millions of members, dwarfing nearly every other mass movement in American political history.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Those figures dwarf previous years – and the numbers continue to rise.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
At $78 billion, Evergrande’s alleged fraud dwarfs the accounting scandal from fellow Chinese company Luckin Coffee (at $300 million), or the revelations that Enron inflated profits by $600 million and that Worldcom engaged in $11 billion worth of financial fraud, according to Bloomberg.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 19 Mar. 2024
The colossal ship is 1,198 feet long, dwarfing the Titanic, which was 882.9 feet long.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
This increase dwarfs the city of San Diego’s minimum wage of $16.85 and puts pressure on other employers to follow suit.
—Jim Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Two-thirds of the league’s teams were effectively insolvent, their liabilities dwarfing their assets.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Other mechanisms to enforce California labor laws are insufficient on their own, including wage claims and whistleblower complaints investigated by state agencies, the report argues, because the sheer number of labor violations dwarfs the state’s capacity to enforce them.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
The $40 billion target would dwarf the typical amounts raised by U.S. venture capital firms and would be eclipsed only by SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate that has long been the world’s largest investor in start-ups.
—Rob Copeland, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The Encore 'Autumn Bonfire' is a low-maintenance, fast-growing dwarf shrub that holds deep green foliage all year and vibrant true red blooms for almost that long.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024
Researchers did not do a DNA analysis of the new species because of a lack of DNA data from other species of dwarf gecko.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
There are plants considered to be dwarf varieties of their parents, such as Japanese Maples.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 13 Jan. 2024
What’s more, the galaxy also had a low mass, similar to a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way known as the Small Magellanic Cloud — which is still forming new stars.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
The stars in dwarf galaxies that entered the Milky Way a few billion years ago have been flung far from their galactic cores.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023
The team estimates that Nube is a dwarf galaxy only one-tenth as bright as others of its type, yet 10 times larger than other galaxies with a comparable number of stars.
—Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Beginning around six billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy named Sagittarius sideswiped the Milky Way and swung around it.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024
Based on data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, this study has found that many dwarf galaxies that were orbiting the Milky Way only a few billion years ago have ended up destroyed after being pulled in by our much more massive galaxy.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dwarf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun, Verb, and Adjective
Middle English dwerg, dwerf, from Old English dweorg, dweorh; akin to Old High German twerg dwarf
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1623, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Adjective
1548, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of dwarf was
in the 14th century
Articles Related to dwarf
Dictionary Entries Near dwarf
Cite this Entry
“Dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dwarf. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
dwarf
1 of 2 noun
plural dwarfs
ˈdwȯ(ə)rfs 
also dwarves
ˈdwȯ(ə)rvz
also dwarves
ˈdwȯ(ə)rvz
1
: a person, animal, or plant much below normal size or height
2
: a small legendary being usually pictured as a deformed and ugly person
3
: a star (as the sun) that in comparison to other stars gives off an ordinary or small amount of energy and has small mass and size
dwarf
2 of 2 verb1
: to restrict the growth or development of : stunt
2
: to cause to appear smaller
Medical Definition
dwarf
1 of 2 noun
plural dwarfs
ˈdwȯ(ə)rfs
also dwarves
ˈdwȯ(ə)rvz
also dwarves
ˈdwȯ(ə)rvz
often attributive
1
sometimes offensive
: a person of unusually small stature
especially
: a person whose height does not exceed 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 meters) and is typically less than 4 feet 5 inches (1.35 meters)
2
: an animal much below normal size
dwarf
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to restrict the growth of : stunt
More from Merriam-Webster on dwarf
Nglish: Translation of dwarf for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dwarf for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dwarf
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