1. Word finder
  2. Word definitions
  3. dampen

Find the word definition

What is "dampen"

Crossword clues for dampen

dampen
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
dampen
verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
dampen sb’s enthusiasm (=cause people to be unenthusiastic)
▪ The rain had dampened our enthusiasm.
dampen sb’s spirits (=make them feel less happy)
▪ They refused to let the rain dampen their spirits.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
down
▪ The only way to ensure that the unwanted behaviour does not reappear is to keep it dampened down by more punishments.
▪ Interest rates were increased in September 1989 and restrictions placed on commercial bank lending to dampen down economic activity.
■ NOUN
enthusiasm
▪ But the defeat did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Biarritz folk.
▪ However, in a quiet way he probably did much to dampen ill-judged enthusiasm for Habbakuk.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Dampen the soil a little before you put the seeds in.
▪ a cloth dampened with alcohol
▪ Demand for gasoline has been dampened by the recession.
▪ If you dampen your piece of paper before you start painting it will be easier to paint evenly.
▪ My many mistakes didn't dampen my enthusiasm for gardening.
▪ She dampened a cloth and held it to his forehead.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ However, in a quiet way he probably did much to dampen ill-judged enthusiasm for Habbakuk.
▪ I willed myself into a hypnotic state, feeling my armpits dampen with sweat.
▪ Roll out half the white icing to the same shape as the pink, and lightly dampen with water.
▪ Sea spray and rain dampened them instantly.
▪ Soggy underfoot it may be, but it's hard to dampen the spirit of the country's premier rowing event.
▪ The separate failures of these two giants seemed to dampen the prospects for ever solving the longitude problem with a clock.
▪ Very dry plaster, or other high-suction backgrounds should be dampened immediately before fixing the cove.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Dampen

Dampen \Damp"en\, v. i. To become damp; to deaden.
--Byron.

Dampen

Dampen \Damp"en\ (d[a^]mp"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. dampened (d[a^]mp"'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. dampening.]

  1. To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet.

  2. To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen.

    In a way that considerably dampened our enthusiasm.
    --The Century.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
dampen

1630s, "to dull or deaden" (of force, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.), from damp (adj.) + -en (1). Meaning "to moisten" is recorded from 1827. Related: Dampened; dampening.

Wiktionary
dampen

vb. 1 (context transitive English) To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet. 2 (context transitive English) To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen. 3 (context intransitive English) To become damp; to deaden.

WordNet
dampen

  1. v. smother or suppress; "Stifle your curiosity" [syn: stifle] [ant: stimulate]

  2. make moist; "The dew moistened the meadows" [syn: moisten, wash]

  3. deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping [syn: muffle, mute, dull, damp, tone down]

  4. reduce the amplitude (of oscillations or waves)

  5. make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible; "muffle the message" [syn: deaden, damp]

  6. check; keep in check (a fire)

  7. lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall" [syn: damp, soften, weaken, break]

Usage examples of "dampen".

It is particularly important to refrain from making unfavourable remarks or statements concerning the friends and the loved ones of God, inasmuch as any expression of grievance, of complaint or backbiting is incompatible with the requirements of unity and harmony and would dampen the spirit of love, fellowship and nobility.

Before the ink could dampen and run, I refolded the parchment and tucked it inside my breastband, next to my heart.

I thought the cryptogamic soils in the storm start-up zones would have dampened them, or even stopped them.

I saw Luscinda immediately, my desires were rekindled, though they had not been dead or dampened, and, to my sorrow, I spoke of them to Don Fernando, because it seemed to me that, given the great friendship he had shown me, I ought not hide anything from him.

He allowed himself the smallest of grins as he realized her presence would have a dampening effect on Rala should she try her seduction tactics again.

Cilean dampened fabric piece and applied it on the forehead of Jura -.

The heat of the day was just beginning to take hold, but sweat was beading up on his face and already dampening his smallclothes and shirt.

ALIGHT, MISTY RAIN DAMPENS the streets of Szczecin as Lucy nears the Radisson Hotel.

Felicity found this dampening of ducal antecedents not at all to her liking.

Later attempts were simply brushed aside, and the bracelets provided a dampening effect on violent thoughts and actions.

If Cadmus off-Droad thought that the assertion of his claims would excite only a nominal response, the immediate convergence of the Droad kindred upon Droad House must have come as a dampening surprise.

Virtually all of the originally pro-Tampy crewers had had their enthusiasm toward the aliens dampened, to one degree or another, while at the same time every single one of the anti-Tampies had had their prejudices strengthened.

The clashing hobnails and rattling equipment of running soldiers echoed because there was none of the usual city noise to blur and dampen it.

ODESSA FILE 247 sweat, dampening the cloth of the neckties and making them even tighter around his fat wrists.

A few flames flickered bright above the unscathed ramparts, then, dampened by the squalls, disappeared.