damp

[damp]

See more synonyms for damp on Thesaurus.com

adjective, damp·er, damp·est.

slightly wet; moist: damp weather; a damp towel.
unenthusiastic; dejected; depressed: The welcoming committee gave them a rather damp reception.

noun

moisture; humidity; moist air: damp that goes through your warmest clothes.
a noxious or stifling vapor or gas, especially in a mine.
depression of spirits; dejection.
a restraining or discouraging force or factor.

verb (used with object)

to make damp; moisten.
to check or retard the energy, action, etc., of; deaden; dampen: A series of failures damped her enthusiasm.
to stifle or suffocate; extinguish: to damp a furnace.
Acoustics, Music. to check or retard the action of (a vibrating string); dull; deaden.
Physics. to cause a decrease in amplitude of (successive oscillations or waves).

Verb Phrases

damp off, to undergo damping-off.

Origin of damp

1300–50; Middle English (in sense of def. 4); compare Middle Dutch damp, Middle High German dampf vapor, smoke

Related formsdamp·ish, adjectivedamp·ish·ly, adverbdamp·ish·ness, noundamp·ly, adverbdamp·ness, noun

Can be confuseddamp moist (see synonym study at the current entry)damp dampen

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. dank, steamy. 3. dankness, dampness, fog, vapor. 7. humidify. 8. slow, inhibit, restrain, moderate, abate.

Synonym study

1. Damp, humid, moist mean slightly wet. Damp usually implies slight and extraneous wetness, generally undesirable or unpleasant unless the result of intention: a damp cellar; to put a damp cloth on a patient's forehead. Humid is applied to unpleasant dampness in the air: The air is oppressively humid today. Moist denotes something that is slightly wet, naturally or properly: moist ground; moist leather.

Antonyms

1. dry.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for damp

Contemporary Examples

With me tagging along, they dove into a rudimentary, damp shelter they had dug in a wood nearby.
Shakeup In the Ukraine Rebel High Command
Jamie Dettmer
August 15, 2014
It insists on efficiency standards for household appliances so that your towels come out of the dryer refreshingly cool and damp.
The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw
P. J. O’Rourke
April 27, 2014
The damp, gray Beaver State is attracting the most incoming movers of any other state, according to a new survey.
Hold Up, Hipsters: Stop Obsessing Over Oregon
Nina Strochlic
January 10, 2014
Outside a late-autumn storm was building and the air in the room was damp.
In War, What Remains
Artis Henderson
January 7, 2014
The elevator descended with a draft," he writes, "chilling Ethel in all the damp spots.
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author
Andrew Romano
November 30, 2013

Historical Examples

They were putting on outer clothes from the store-room to protect them from the dirt and damp.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Dick, vaguely conscious of damp and dirt, went up to his bedroom.
Viviette
William J. Locke
He passed his hand across his damp forehead, for he felt faint with dread.
Viviette
William J. Locke
The damp snow packed on Blondey's hoofs, so that he was walking on snowballs.
A Woman Tenderfoot
Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson
In damp weather it is sometimes difficult to get the froth stiff.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for damp

damp

adjective

slightly wet, as from dew, steam, etc
archaic dejected

noun

slight wetness; moisture; humidity
rank air or poisonous gas, esp in a mineSee also firedamp
a discouragement; damper
archaic dejection

verb (tr)

to make slightly wet
(often foll by down) to stifle or deadento damp one's ardour
(often foll by down) to reduce the flow of air to (a fire) to make it burn more slowly or to extinguish it
physics to reduce the amplitude of (an oscillation or wave)
music to muffle (the sound of an instrument)

Word Origin

C14: from Middle Low German damp steam; related to Old High German demphen to cause to steam

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for damp

n.

early 14c., "a noxious vapor," perhaps in Old English but there is no record of it. If not, probably from Middle Low German damp; ultimately in either case from Proto-Germanic *dampaz (cf. Old High German damph, German Dampf "vapor;" Old Norse dampi "dust"). Sense of "moisture, humidity" is first certainly attested 1706.

v.

late 14c., "to suffocate," from damp (n.). Figurative meaning "to deaden (the spirits, etc.)" attested by 1540s. Meaning "to moisten" is recorded from 1670s. Related: Damped; damping.

adj.

1580s, "dazed," from damp (n.). Meaning "slightly wet" is from 1706. Related: Dampness.

damp

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Synonyms

Synonym study

Antonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for damp

Contemporary Examples

With me tagging along, they dove into a rudimentary, damp shelter they had dug in a wood nearby.

It insists on efficiency standards for household appliances so that your towels come out of the dryer refreshingly cool and damp.

The damp, gray Beaver State is attracting the most incoming movers of any other state, according to a new survey.

Outside a late-autumn storm was building and the air in the room was damp.

The elevator descended with a draft," he writes, "chilling Ethel in all the damp spots.

Historical Examples

They were putting on outer clothes from the store-room to protect them from the dirt and damp.

Dick, vaguely conscious of damp and dirt, went up to his bedroom.

He passed his hand across his damp forehead, for he felt faint with dread.

The damp snow packed on Blondey's hoofs, so that he was walking on snowballs.

In damp weather it is sometimes difficult to get the froth stiff.

damp

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for damp

n.

v.

adj.

Origin of damp