moisture
Americannoun
-
moistures
plural
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Levels of soil moisture were "significantly lower" than in July 2022 when the last severe drought gripped western Europe, Copernicus added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
That shift can train a veritable fire hose of tropical moisture at Southern California, potentially leading to significant rainfall across the region — albeit at the cost of drier-than-usual conditions elsewhere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Gruel explains that resting allows the panko to absorb moisture, though he does not say how long that takes.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
He explains that instead of sweating, lions take deep breaths to expel moisture from their airways.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Aaron?” she whispered, moisture welling in her eyes.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
“The fuel moistures would have been too high, and the fire wouldn't have carried.”
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025
The effects of the current drought might not be immediately apparent, especially in Western Washington, but the symptoms can be seen in below-average stream flows, low reservoir levels and dry soil moistures, Bond said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
Despite the record-breaking rainstorm last week, fuel moistures are still low due to California’s multiyear drought, according to Sweet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2022
One silver lining was that vegetation in the area remains relatively moist due to rains earlier in the season, with the latest measure of fuel moistures in the West Gaviota area over 100%, Ferguson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2022
Then take thei the dead mannes heade, and pike the braine cleane, and all other moistures and ragges, and when thei haue guilte it, thei vse it for a representacion of the partie departed.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06 Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc. by Richard Hakluyt
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.
