moisture
Americannoun
-
moistures
plural
-
condensed or diffused liquid, especially water.
moisture in the air.
-
a small quantity of liquid, especially water; enough liquid to moisten.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of moisture
1325–75; Middle English; see moist, -ure; compare Middle French moistour
Explanation
Moisture is the feeling of wetness — what you want in your cupcake but not in your diapers. Moisture is the noun related to the adjective moist, which you might use to describe damp soil, clammy air, or melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Moisture has also been known to promote mold growth and frizz otherwise tame hair, so it doesn't have many fans — other than tropical plants and the very thirsty.
Vocabulary lists containing moisture
Holes
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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"Brothers in Hope"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Our greenhouse-gas-warmed atmosphere holds more moisture, so El Nino-linked rains can turn more extreme.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
"This year we've gone through meteorological, soil moisture, and river flow drought," says Facer-Childs.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Many residents’ view of the blaze in recent days has been obstructed by the marine layer, which has provided some much-needed moisture for fire crews.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Levels of soil moisture were "significantly lower" than in July 2022 when the last severe drought gripped western Europe, Copernicus added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“This is how little moisture you need to get the steam to rise.”
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
“Given the fuel moistures, we should have a little bit of a leg up on that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
“The fuel moistures would have been too high, and the fire wouldn't have carried.”
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025
The effects of the current drought might not be immediately apparent, especially in Western Washington, but the symptoms can be seen in below-average stream flows, low reservoir levels and dry soil moistures, Bond said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
“Fuel moistures on the forest are very dry. This condition, combined with high temperatures, support rapid fire spread,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2021
Big-bellied apples gold or bell-round pears No maiden gathers now; The moistures drip great reeking tears From each old, crippled bough.
From Blooms of the Berry by Madison J. Cawein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
