Idiom idiom
down in the dumps
Meaning
Sad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He feels down in the dumps after losing his job.”
“Since her best friend moved away, she has been feeling down in the dumps and rarely leaves the house.”
“Despite the festive atmosphere of the celebration, he remained down in the dumps, unable to shake the persistent melancholy that had clouded his mood for weeks.”
Origin
From the early modern noun *dump*, which denoted a dull or gloomy state of the mind. The plural form appears in English by the early 16th century, though the singular term for a fit of melancholy or a leaden depression was established earlier.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026