douse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to plunge into water or the like; drench.
She doused the clothes in soapy water.
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to splash or throw water or other liquid on.
The children doused each other with the hose.
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to extinguish.
She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.
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Informal. to remove; doff.
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Nautical.
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to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.
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to slacken (a line) suddenly.
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to stow quickly.
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verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to plunge or be plunged into water or some other liquid; duck
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(tr) to drench with water, esp in order to wash or clean
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(tr) to put out (a light, candle, etc)
noun
verb
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nautical to lower (sail) quickly
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archaic to strike or beat
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have dousedperfect
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has dousedperfect 3rd person singular
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is dousingprogressive 3rd person singular
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dousingparticiple
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are dousingprogressive
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has been dousingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am dousingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been dousingperfect progressive
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dousessingular 3rd person
Past
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had dousedperfect
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had been dousingperfect progressive
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dousedsimple
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was dousingprogressive singular
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dousedparticiple
-
were dousingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of douse
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain
Explanation
Use the verb douse to describe covering something with water or other liquid. When you're camping, you douse the campfire with water when you're done with it. Douse often involves water, but you could also douse your French fries in ketchup. Douse can describe the act of extinguishing a candle, or even turning off a light. You might douse your bedroom light when it's time to sleep or simply douse a candle by blowing it out. Douse is most commonly pronounced to rhyme with mouse.
Vocabulary lists containing douse
A Recipe for Success: Thanksgiving Cooking Words
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"Of Mice and Men"
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The Cay
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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.
A fire extinguisher was used to douse the blaze.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Julian wants to destroy the unfinished Christophers, but can’t bring himself to douse the canvases in kerosene and light the match.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
Firefighters continued to douse the building with water to cool the structure and prevent embers from re-igniting.
From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025
A quick douse in the shower, he says, is his usual trick to get them clean.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025
The watchman made a frantic attempt to douse the flames with a dock hose, then ran from the marina.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
