dis

1 of 5

verb

ˈdis 

variants or less commonly diss

dissed; dissing

transitive verb

1

slang : to treat with disrespect or contempt : insult

dissed her former co-star in the interview

was dissed and ignored at the party

2

slang : to find fault with : criticize

dissed her wardrobe

dis

2 of 5

noun (1)

variants or less commonly diss

1

slang : a disparaging remark or act : insult

was meant as a tribute, not a dis

—Vibe

2

slang : disrespect

dis

3 of 5

abbreviation

1

discharge

2

discount

3

distance

Dis

4 of 5

noun (2)

ˈdis 

mythology

: the Roman god of the underworld (see underworld sense 1) compare pluto

dis-

5 of 5

prefix

1

a

: do the opposite of

disestablish

b

: deprive of (a specified quality, rank, or object)

disfranchise

c

: exclude or expel from

disbar

2

: opposite or absence of

disunion

disaffection

3

: not

disagreeable

4

: completely

disannul

5

: dys-

disfunction

Synonyms

Verb

• contemn
• disdain
• disrespect
• high-hat
• look down (on or upon)
• scorn
• slight
• sniff (at)
• snoot
• snub

Noun (1)

• affront
• barb
• brickbat
• cut
• dart
• dig
• epithet
• gird
• indignity
• insult
• name
• offense
• offence
• outrage
• personality
• poke
• put-down
• sarcasm
• slap
• slight
• slur

Examples of dis in a Sentence

Verb

don't dis my idea until you come up with a better one

a DJ who has dissed every album that artist has put out

Noun (1)

the refs can penalize a player for any dis on the field

don't take it wrong—I don't mean it as a dis

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

During the 1995 Source Awards in New York City, Knight took a moment on stage to dis Diddy without calling him out by name. —Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 26 July 2024

New face, who 'dis? Can be bribed with candy. Bugs and hisses to my witches! —Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 27 July 2023

Disruption may dis-regulate the clients. —Alexander Ralph, Cincinnati.com, 9 June 2020

Not to dis the Silver Palate—because who would ever do that—but I’m pretty sure my pork tenderloin version is even better than the original. —Ashley Mason, Bon Appetit, 9 Mar. 2017

Noun

At 45, Shaquille O'Neal has moved beyond rattling rims, but not beyond an old-school diss track. —Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, 29 July 2017

Thinking about this some more, this is kind of a dis. —Armando Salguero, miamiherald, 9 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Verb

short for disrespect

Noun (2)

Latin

Prefix

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French des-, borrowed from Latin dis-, dī- (before b, d, g, l, m, n, v, r), dir- (before vowels), dif- (before f) "apart, asunder, in two," of uncertain origin

Note: Latin dis- is conventionally linked with bi- bi- entry 1, bis "twice," going back to *duis, but the loss of -u- is unexplained (perhaps from Indo-European *dus- "bad, dys-," otherwise unattested in Latin, crossed with duis-?). Possibly related are Greek diá "apart, through" (see dia-), assuming *dis-a-, and the West Germanic prefix represented by Old Saxon and Old Frisian te- "apart, in pieces," Old High German zi-, ze- (also zer-, perhaps crossed with zur-, Old English and Old Norse tor- "with difficulty," Gothic tuz-, from the Germanic outcome of Indo-European *dus-) and Old English and Old Saxon to- (assimilated to tō to entry 1?); the Gothic counterpart dis- "apart, away," with apparently unshifted d-, has no accepted explanation.

First Known Use

Verb

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1986, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1567, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dis

1 of 2 verb

ˈdis

dissed; dissing

1

slang : to treat with disrespect or contempt : insult

2

slang : to find fault with : criticize

dis-

2 of 2 prefix

1

a

: do the opposite of

disagree

b

: deprive of

disarm

c

: exclude or expel from

disbar

2

: opposite or absence of

disaffection

disfavor

3

: not

discourteous

Etymology

Prefix

Latin dis-, literally, "apart"

Medical Definition

dis

abbreviation

1

disabled

2

disease