douse

American  

[dous] / daʊs /

Or dowse

verb (used with object)

doused, dousing

1. to plunge into water or the like; drench.

   She doused the clothes in soapy water.

2. to splash or throw water or other liquid on.

   The children doused each other with the hose.

3. to extinguish.

   She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.

4. Informal. to remove; doff.

5. Nautical.

   1. to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.

   2. to slacken (a line) suddenly.

   3. to stow quickly.

---

verb (used without object)

doused, dousing

1. to plunge or be plunged into a liquid.

noun

1. British Dialect. a stroke or blow.

douse ¹ British  

/ daʊs /

verb

1. to plunge or be plunged into water or some other liquid; duck

2. (tr) to drench with water, esp in order to wash or clean

3. (tr) to put out (a light, candle, etc)

---

noun

1. an immersion

douse ² British  

/ daʊs /

verb

1. nautical to lower (sail) quickly

2. archaic to strike or beat

---

noun

1. archaic a blow

Other Word Forms

• douser
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

Douse it with cheese or gussy it up with some fresh herbs — and voila!

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2023

Douse had 2.5 sacks, and Powell-Lee, who missed most of practice this week with an illness, had an interception, along with his fumble recovery.

From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2022

Kiefer Douse hit the first of two free throws with eight seconds left to put the game out of reach.

From Washington Times • Mar. 2, 2017

Douse millions of houses with DDT, and mosquitoes will learn to extract their blood in the evenings instead, before people go indoors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2010

Gardiner, Dalrymple, General Stuart, Wallace, Sherbrooke, Douse, Hart, Lalor—all well-known Scottish and Irish names, except two or perhaps three that may be English, but the Native puts them all, down as "English!"

From From Edinburgh to India & Burmah by Burn Murdoch, W. G. (William Gordon)

Related Words

• deluge
• drown
• put out
• quench
• saturate
• smother
• snuff out
• soak
• splash
• submerge
• wet