Definition

1. Noun:

   • A small natural indentation in the flesh: A dimple is a small, natural hollow or dent, typically found on a person's cheek or chin, that becomes visible when they smile.
   • Any slight depression or dent in a surface: A dimple can also refer to any small, shallow depression on a surface, such as those on a golf ball or in metal.

2. Verb:

   • To produce dimples in the cheeks or chin: To dimple means to form or show small hollows in the cheeks or chin, especially when smiling.
   • To mark with small depressions: To dimple also means to create or become marked with small dents or depressions, like ripples on water.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • Her smile was charming, accentuated by a deep dimple in her left cheek.
  • The surface of the golf ball is covered with hundreds of tiny dimples to improve its aerodynamics.

• Verb:

  • The baby dimpled sweetly when her mother tickled her.
  • The gentle rain dimpled the surface of the still pond.

Advanced Usage

• "Dimple of Venus": A colloquial term for the two small indentations on the human lower back, just above the buttocks.

  • In sculpture, artists often include the dimple of Venus to add anatomical detail.

• "Dimple in the chin": Sometimes called a "cleft chin," this is a vertical dimple or crease in the middle of the chin.

  • He had a distinctive dimple in his chin that made him easily recognizable.

Variants and Related Words

• Dimpled (adj): Having dimples.

  • She had a dimpled smile that lit up her whole face.

• Dimply (adj): Full of or characterized by dimples.

  • The baby's dimply knees were adorable.

Synonyms

• Noun: Dent, hollow, indentation, depression, pit.
• Verb: Dent, indent, depress, ripple.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Dimple" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is typically straightforward.)

Related Idioms

• "A smile that could dimple a cheek": Used to describe a very bright, engaging smile that naturally causes dimples to appear.
  • She greeted everyone with a smile that could dimple a cheek.

Noun

1. a small natural hollow in the cheek or chin
   • His dimple appeared whenever he smiled
2. any slight depression in a surface
   • there are approximately 336 dimples on a golf ball
3. a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still attached

Verb

1. produce dimples while smiling
   • The child dimpled up to the adults
2. mark with, or as if with, dimples
   • drops dimpled the smooth stream