douse
Americanverb (used with object)
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douses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
doused,
past participle, past
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dousing
present participle
-
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)
-
douses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
doused,
past participle, past
-
dousing
present participle
noun
verb
-
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dousesimple
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dousessimple
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have dousedperfect
-
has dousedperfect
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am dousingprogressive
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are dousingprogressive
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is dousingprogressive
-
have been dousingperfect progressive
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has been dousingperfect progressive
Past
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dousedsimple
-
had dousedperfect
-
was dousingprogressive
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were dousingprogressive
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had been dousingperfect progressive
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
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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:
Two Canadair planes joined the battle on Monday, scooping up water from the River Seine to douse the flames.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The roof later became structurally unsafe so firefighters used helicopters and water cannons to douse the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
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
I splashed her to douse the flame, then grabbed the journal and lifted it—with Gum Baby still attached—out of the water with one hand.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
He no longer douses his sponge with dish liquid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
Today, the tree foundation’s Green Blocks program douses neighborhoods in green, providing hundreds of free trees ranging from species like Bing cherry and fig to white pine, cedar and fir.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
Then Chambers douses a Confederate flag with gasoline and lights it on fire.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2022
Naturally, as well liked and respected around the NFL as Lynn is, being the offensive coordinator of an anemic team quickly douses that speculation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2021
I shake it, and when he pulls away, his mother—her eyes still locked on me—unsnaps a keychain-Purell and vigorously douses Jordan in it, practically giving him an entire hospital bath.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
A series of herring gulls have been found doused in oil in the west of the Isle of Man, prompting concerns from conservationists.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
“The Mountain” is, as expected, heavily doused with notions on the concept of death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
He posted a video on TikTok of his experiment: Spending the day in clothes doused with an entire bottle of Axe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
Prediction market traders can bet on everything that sportsbook bettors can—the total number of points scored by both teams, individual player statistics, and even what color Gatorade the winning coach will be doused in.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
His tone had cooled more quickly than a doused fire.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
"Wildfire in Suffolk burns near nuclear plant" the Guardian says, printed below a photo of firefighters dousing flames engulfing a cluster of trees.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Regional firefighting chief Marc Vermeulen warned his teams would still have to spend several days dousing water on remaining flames inside the forest as well as at its edges to avoid it picking up again.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
One video showed him at a nightclub, dancing on a stage wearing a New York Yankees shirt with the name “Cangrejo”—Spanish for “Crab”—on the back and dousing himself with a bottle of water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Fire aircraft were set to begin dousing the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
It was Danny’s voice, his hands holding my head and dousing my eyes with water.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
