1
a
: having a slightly brownish dark gray color : having the color dun (see dun entry 2 sense 2)
b
of a horse
: having a grayish-yellow coat with black mane and tail
2
: marked by dullness and drabness
1
: a horse with a grayish-yellow coat and a black mane and tail : a dun horse
2
: a variable color averaging a nearly neutral slightly brownish dark gray
3
: a subadult mayfly
also, fishing
: an artificial fly tied to imitate such an insect
dunned; dunning
1
: to make persistent demands upon for payment
dunning their members for contributions
1
: someone who makes persistent demands upon people for payment : a person who duns (see dun entry 3)
2
: an urgent request
especially
: a demand for payment
Synonyms
Examples of dun in a Sentence
Noun (2)
it's probably not a good idea to ignore a creditor's dun for repayment
Recent Examples on the Web
Lucinda Shen, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
Seduction Cosmetic Center’s Dr. John Sampson was dunned $25,656 and banned from Brazilian butt lifts for his own professional sins, which resulted in the death of a Seduction patient in June 2021.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024
But that devil would come dunning in the nineteen-thirties, during the battles between New Dealers and the Court led by Charles Evans Hughes.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
The Education Department dunned GCU, the nation’s largest Christian college, $37.7 million for allegedly deceiving prospective students about the cost of its doctoral programs.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023
The agency would dun a public company guilty of a comparable lack of internal controls.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Those measure could mean dunning a delinquent customer, or tapping into Tola's BNPL, working capital product.
—Lucinda Shen, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
Seduction Cosmetic Center’s Dr. John Sampson was dunned $25,656 and banned from Brazilian butt lifts for his own professional sins, which resulted in the death of a Seduction patient in June 2021.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024
But that devil would come dunning in the nineteen-thirties, during the battles between New Dealers and the Court led by Charles Evans Hughes.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
The Education Department dunned GCU, the nation’s largest Christian college, $37.7 million for allegedly deceiving prospective students about the cost of its doctoral programs.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023
The agency would dun a public company guilty of a comparable lack of internal controls.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near dun
Cite this Entry
“Dun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dun. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dun
1 of 3 noun1
: a light tan horse with a black mane and tail
2
: a slightly brownish dark gray
dun
adjective
dun
2 of 3 verb
dunned; dunning
: to make repeated demands upon for payment
an organization that duns its members for dues
dun
3 of 3 noun1
: a person who duns another
2
: a demand for payment
Etymology
Noun
Old English dunn (adjective) "having the color of brownish dark gray"
Verb
origin unknown
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