moisture
Americannoun
-
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
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.
Moisture in the air on the windward side of a mountain is forced to rise where it will cool and condenses, taking the moisture out of it.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Moisture lost to evaporation and drought, plus runoff from pumped groundwater, now outpaces the melting of glaciers and the ice sheets of either Antarctica or Greenland as the largest contributor of water to the oceans.
From Salon • Jul. 28, 2025
Moisture triggers the transformation of cadmium sulfide, which is yellow, into cadmium sulfate, which is white -- resulting in a whitish or dull cast.
From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024
Most of the Moisture Festival’s performers hop from gig to gig.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2024
Moisture dripped from his eyes and into the tóshchíín.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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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.