The Meaning of DND: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what the acronym DND means? This guide will provide you with all of the necessary information on the abbreviation DND, including its meaning, usage, example sentences, and more!

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

What does the abbreviation DND mean with respect to the United States Government?

According to Defense, the acronym DND can stand for Department of National Defence or Department of National Defense with regard to the United States Government. Defense states that the Department of Defense is America’s largest government agency. This department contains the military and armed forces. Their annual budget is over $740 billion dollars, they have almost 3 million service members and civilians in the DND, and over 4800 sites in over 160 different countries. 

The armed forces include the Army, Marine Corps, Nacy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and National Guard. The headquarters of the Department of National Defense is located within the Pentagon. The Department of Defense is the oldest government agency in the United States, as well as the largest. The DND can trace its roots back to the Revolutionary War. Below is an example of a way in which one might use the abbreviation DND in this context. Michael and Ben discuss their jobs.

Michael: I work for the FBI.

Ben: Nice, neighbor! I work for the DND.

What does the acronym DND mean with respect to role-playing games?

DND can also stand for Dungeons and Dragons, which is one of the most popular RPG tabletop role-playing games in existence. According to Wizards, DND is a storytelling game in which a group of players tells a story as they guide their player characters through treasure quests, battles, and much more. This game was developed by Wizards of the Coast, a role-playing game company.

According to My Kind of Meeple, a Dungeon Master is an important role in the game Dungeons & Dragons. The Dungeon Master plays referee and preparer in the RPG – they do not play one character like the other players, but instead facilitate, narrate, and control all of the monsters and other characters that they players interact with.

Below is an example of a way in which the acronym DND might be used in this context. Franny and Bud like to play Dungeons & Dragons together once a week after work. The morning after their session, they discuss the game in the breakroom.

Franny: Hey Bud! Fun game last night! How are you liking DND?

Bud: It’s really fun! I’m still getting the hang of it, but I think I’m getting better.

Franny: Absolutely! It took me like six months to get accustomed to all the rules, so you’re making great progress!

What does the acronym DND stand for with respect to technology?

According to Dictionary, when referring to technology, the internet slang term DND stands for “Do not Disturb.” This is a privacy setting that is a part of many different smartphones, tablets, and laptops. When a phone or other device is on do not disturb mode, it will not alert the user of any new notifications including calls, text messages, or notifications from other applications. Someone might use do not disturb mode if they are in an interview, taking an exam, or in an important business meeting.

On Apple products, this is represented by a crescent moon, like the phone is “sleeping.” On Apple devices, the user can also schedule times for their phone to go into do not disturb mode. If someone has a meeting every day during a certain time that they do not want to be disturbed during, they can set up a scheduled do not disturb. A high school student might also use this during school so they do not get in trouble by a phone going off during class. Below is an example of a way someone might use DND in this context in a sentence. Freida is annoyed with Wilbur for ignoring her SMS texts and calls.

Frieda: Wilbur! Where have you been? I was so worried.

Wilbur: Oh my God, I’m so sorry. My phone was on DND for my meeting and I forgot to turn it off.

What else can the acronym DND stand for?

The acronym DND also has a plethora of other possible meanings, according to The Free Dictionary and Acronym Finder. These are far less common than any of the above definitions, so one should exercise caution when using them. If one decides to use one of these less common definitions, ensure that the context is clear so that one is not confused by the meaning.

  • Death and Decay (gaming)
  • Delhi Noida Direct Flyway (Indian expressway)
  • Dialable Number Delivery
  • Drugs for Neglected Diseases
  • Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom – Dundee (Airport Code)
  • Division of Narcotic Drugs (UN)
  • Dream and Dreamer
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • Drag and Drop
  • Done & Dusted
  • Dinner and Dance (various organizations)
  • Do Not Duplicate
  • Deal or No Deal (TV game show)
  • Drunk and Disorderly
  • Dad ‘n’ Daughter (Normaned Railroad)
  • Document Number Derivation
  • Do Not Disclose
  • Daily Newspaper Division
  • Dacs II Network Director
  • Direct Nanoparticle Deposition
  • Dynamic Network on Demand
  • Did not Dial
  • Dunkin Donuts
  • Do Not Detain
  • Dartmouth Name Directory
  • Daonda (SIL code, Papua New Guinea)
  • Do Not Dispatch
  • Department of National Development (Australia)
  • Dragons Never Die (gaming)
  • Death and Destruction (gaming)
  • Den Norske Dataforening
  • Do Not Distribute
  • Delegate ‘n Disappear (military slang in Canada)
  • DrugnewsDigest
  • Digital New Deal
  • Did Not Dress (basketball)
  • Do Not Delete
  • Dutch News Digest

Overall, the acronym DND has a plethora of different meanings. The most commonly seen are Dungeons & Dragons, which is a tabletop RPG game, Do Not Disturb, which is a setting on technological devices, and Department of National Defense, which is a branch of the United States government, as well as governments in other countries.

Sources:

  1. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dnd
  2. https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/DND
  3. https://www.acronymfinder.com/DND.html
  4. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204321
  5. https://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-is-dd
  6. https://mykindofmeeple.com/what-is-a-dungeon-master/
  7. https://www.defense.gov/our-story/