DM

PluralDMs

FormsDMs, DMing, DMed

1. 1
   nouncountableinitialism

   Initialism of direct message.

   She answered the reporter's question in a DM instead of a public reply.

   After the video went viral, he got a DM from a TV producer.

   SimilarPM

   Note

   The message takes the ordinary verbs of mail: you send someone a DM, get one from a stranger, or answer in a DM rather than in public. The plural is a plain DMs, as in check your DMs, and the letters are said by name, so it takes a. PM, for private message, is a close match, and the same letters serve as a verb for sending one.

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To send a direct message to someone, usually on a social media website.

   If you have questions about the job, DM me and I'll send the details.

   Fans kept DMing the singer about the canceled show.

   Similarmessage, PM

   Note

   The person messaged is a plain direct object, with no to: DM me the details, fans kept DMing the singer. The forms keep the capitals, DMs and DMing, and the past has two spellings, DMed and DM'd; either is fine in casual writing.

3. 3
   nouncountableinitialism

   Initialism of dungeon master.

   The DM rolled behind a screen so the players couldn't see the result.

   A good DM adjusts the story when the players wander off the planned path.

   SimilarGM

   Note

   The title belongs to Dungeons & Dragons, where one player runs the game for the rest: describing the world, playing every character the party meets and applying the rules. Other tabletop games often give the role a broader name, game master or GM, and ST is another. The letters also make a verb for doing the job.

4. 4
   verbtransitive or intransitive

   To act as dungeon master, running a tabletop role-playing game.

   Few people in the group want to DM, because it takes hours of preparation each week.

   He has DMed the same campaign for nearly three years.

   SimilarGM

   Note

   Gamers use it with or without an object: she DMs a weekly campaign; who wants to DM tonight? The object is usually the game or campaign, though a table of players can take that slot too, so context is what separates it from the messaging verb: DMing a campaign is running it, DMing a friend is usually messaging them. GM works the same way as a verb.

5. 5
   nouncolloquialusually plural

   A boot or shoe of the Dr. Martens brand.

   He laced up a battered pair of DMs before heading out to the gig.

   Her cherry-red DM boots had softened after years of wear.

6. 6
   noununcountableinitialism

   Initialism of diabetes mellitus.

   The patient has a ten-year history of type 2 DM managed with diet and exercise.

   Poorly controlled DM raises the risk of damage to the kidneys and eyes.

   Note

   Doctors write the letters in charts and case notes, usually with the type in front: type 1 DM, type 2 DM. The two types have different causes but similar clinical effects, chiefly high blood sugar, especially after eating. Outside medical writing people simply say diabetes.

7. 7
   symbol · dm

   Symbol for decimeter.

   Each side of the cube measures 1 dm, so it holds exactly one liter.

   The botanist recorded a stem length of 3.2 dm.

   Note

   Lower case carries the meaning here: dm is the unit, while capital DM is a message, a currency or a game master. Like other SI symbols it takes no period and no plural s: 1 dm, 30 dm. Ten decimeters make a meter, and a cube 1 dm on a side holds exactly one liter.

8. 8
   nouncountableinitialism

   Initialism of Deutsche Mark.

   The hotel bill came to 450 DM, which seemed steep for a single night.

   The car was priced at DM 12,000 in the dealer's window.

   SimilarDEM

   Note

   German prices were written with the letters on either side of the amount, DM 450 or 450 DM. DEM, the other short form, was the formal currency code. Now that the euro has replaced the mark, the abbreviation turns up mainly in older price lists, records and histories.

9. 9
   noununcountableabbreviation

   Abbreviation of dextromethorphan.

   The pharmacist recommended a syrup combining guaifenesin and DM for his chest cold.

   Do not take two cold products that both contain DM at the same time.

   Note

   On cold and cough remedies the letters often follow a product name or another ingredient, as in guaifenesin and DM, to flag the cough suppressant in the mix. DXM is another short form of the same drug. Because so many over-the-counter remedies contain it, the letters are worth checking before taking two products at once.

10. 10
    noununcountableinitialism

    Initialism of deathmatch.

    The server runs free-for-all DM on its smaller maps.

    He warms up with a few rounds of DM before playing ranked matches.

    Note

    Game menus and chat use the letters for the mode rather than a single match, so players queue for DM or join a DM server. The scoring is bare: each elimination earns a point, and whoever racks up the most wins.

11. 11
    nouncountableinitialism

    Initialism of duty manager.

    The hotel's night DM approved a refund for the noisy room.

    The DM on the early shift found that the freezer had failed overnight.

    Note

    The point of the title is the shift: duty managers take turns in charge beneath a general manager, so the DM is whoever runs the place right now, not the overall boss. Staff use it almost like a name, often with a time of day in front: the night DM, the early-shift DM.

12. 12
    nouncountableinitialism

    Initialism of defensive midfielder.

    The club signed a tough DM to shield its back line.

    Playing as a lone DM, he broke up attack after attack in front of the defense.

    Note

    Tactics talk uses the letters for a position as well as a player: he plays DM, the club fields a lone DM. The job is to sit just in front of the back line, break up attacks and move the ball on to more attacking teammates.

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