Meaning
Done or finished — but it does extra work in Jamaican grammar. Placed before a verb it means 'already' (a completed action), and it can mean to finish someone off, especially to crush a rival in a clash.
Senses
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particle 'Already' — marking an action as complete, placed before the verb.
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Mi dun eat aready.
I've already eaten.
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Him dun gone.
He's already left.
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verb To finish off or utterly defeat someone — common in sound-clash boasts.
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Di sound dun di whole a dem.
The sound system crushed all of them.
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Mi dun yuh inna dat argument.
I finished you off in that argument.
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Origin
From English 'done', but grammaticalised in Jamaican into a marker of completed action and a verb of finishing or defeating.
How it’s used
As a completive marker ('mi dun tell yuh') it is a core feature of the grammar. The 'defeat' sense thrives in clash culture.