adj

dun

duhn

adj

A dull greyish-brown colour.

"The old horse had a dun coat flecked with grey."

"The walls were painted a flat, dun shade that made the room feel drab."

verb

To repeatedly pester someone for money they owe you.

"The collection agency kept dunning him for the unpaid balance."

"She was dunned with letters and calls until she finally settled the debt."

How to Use Dun

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAs a colour it means a drab greyish brown; as a verb it means to hound someone for a debt.

Common mistake

The colour sense and the "chase for payment" sense are unrelated meanings that just happen to share a spelling.

Common pairings

a dun horse dun-coloured dunning letter

dunned past tense, dunned past tense, duns plural, duns plural, duns plural, duns plural, duns plural, DUNs plural, duns singular, duns singular

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Test yourself on “dun” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

The old horse had a _____ coat flecked with grey.

From Old English dunn, "dingy brown" — an ancient Germanic colour word related to "dusk."

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verdun

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