moisten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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moistens,
present (3rd person singular)
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moistened,
past participle, past
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moistening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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moistenernoun
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overmoistenverb
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remoistenverb
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supermoistenverb (used with object)
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unmoistenverb (used with object)
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premoistenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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moistensimple
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moistenssimple
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have moistenedperfect
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has moistenedperfect
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am moisteningprogressive
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are moisteningprogressive
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is moisteningprogressive
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have been moisteningperfect progressive
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has been moisteningperfect progressive
Past
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moistenedsimple
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had moistenedperfect
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was moisteningprogressive
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were moisteningprogressive
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had been moisteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of moisten
Explanation
To moisten is to make something slightly damp or just barely wet. It used to be necessary to moisten a postage stamp with your tongue before sticking it on an envelope, but today stamps stick without being licked. A misty rain will moisten your hair, and running uphill moistens your forehead with sweat. Your houseplant that prefers a small amount of water will be happiest if you barely moisten the soil. While rain overnight will leave your front lawn soaking wet, the morning dew will simply moisten each blade of grass. Moisten comes from moist, from the Old French moiste, "damp." The Latin root means something closer to "moldy or slimy."
Vocabulary lists containing moisten
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:
They had some Palestinian thyme and foraged wild greens to eat, but only that, and just enough water to moisten their mouths once in a while, Mr. Barda told a Times reporter.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
Then, they used energy dissipation models to compare the seals' ability to warm and moisten air during inhalation and to reduce heat and moisture loss during exhalation.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2023
Rub a cut lemon around the rim of your serving dish to moisten.
From Washington Times ● May 28, 2023
You need gravy on Thanksgiving to aid the turkey, moisten the potatoes, douse the stuffing.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
His mouth was dry and his tongue stuck to his lips when he tried to moisten them.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
You'll be in awe of the soft, warm pockets of spiced, tender apple, as well as how much the apple moistens the cake.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2022
The teeth and jaw mechanically chew the food, and saliva from the salivary glands moistens the food and begins chemical digestion.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The teeth and jaw mechanically chew the food, and saliva from the salivary glands moistens the food and initiates mechanical and chemical digestion.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
“That moistens your mouth to get it ready to spit,” he said.
From Washington Post
Florette, whose temples the Perfect moistens with the fresh water that Aloys brought to him and into which he poured a few drops of an elixir, slowly regains consciousness.
From The Iron Pincers or Mylio and Karvel A Tale of the Albigensian Crusades by Eugène Sue
The mark is made with the moistened ashes of palms that were burned after the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Months earlier, in March, farmworkers had used a machine to drop each little plant, grown in a greenhouse, into the moistened soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
They pump the CO₂ into a sealed vessel containing the moistened coffee beans, and the caffeine molecules dissolve in the CO₂.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2024
Add about half the heavy cream, and fold gently until the dry ingredients are just barely moistened.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
He swallowed and moistened his mouth to speak again.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
The teacher bristled, with anger moistening her eyes: “Just think of where you would prefer to live.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
A wet March has provided a welcome partial relief to farmers by moistening soil ahead of planting but underground water levels remain dangerously low, especially around the Mediterranean.
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
Warning: López has written a play that induces all manner of crying, from a moistening of the eyes to all-out sobbing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2022
Chiles relleno filled with picadillo are traditionally served with a tomato soup, which soaks into the ground meat, moistening the dish.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022
“Go on,” said Harker hoarsely; so he bowed his head and moistening his lips with his tongue, added: “except that the poor fellow is dead.”
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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