damp

[ damp ]

/ dæmp /

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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.

Nearby words

damocles, sword of, damodar, damoiselle, damon, damon and pythias, damp, damp box, damp off, damp squib, damp-dry, damp-mop

Origin of damp

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

SYNONYMS FOR damp

1 dank, steamy.

3 dankness, dampness, fog, vapor.

7 humidify.

8 slow, inhibit, restrain, moderate, abate.

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ANTONYMS FOR damp

1 dry.

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Related forms

damp·ish, adjectivedamp·ish·ly, adverbdamp·ish·ness, noundamp·ly, adverb

damp·ness, noun

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

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for damp

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Outside a late-autumn storm was building and the air in the room was damp.
In War, What Remains|Artis Henderson|January 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
We grew afraid—my face was damp with fear, the hair stood up upon my head.
Ayesha|H. Rider Haggard
Although frequently enveloped in a damp fog, the Peruvian coastal towns are almost never subjected to rain.
Inca Land|Hiram Bingham
Now, in the damp air, they twisted and turned in the wildest profusion.
From the Valley of the Missing|Grace Miller White
Of the deliberate and diffuse Federationist there remained no trace, save the binoculars and two damp whiskers.
A Diversity of Creatures|Rudyard Kipling
The Senator swallowed hard and mopped his damp forehead with his handkerchief.
Hidden Gold|Wilder Anthony

British Dictionary definitions for damp

damp

/ (dæmp) /

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 for damp

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 (1 of 3)

damp

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.

Word Origin and History for damp (1 of 3)

damp

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.

Word Origin and History for damp (2 of 3)

damp

adj.

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

damp

adjective, damp·er, damp·est.

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of damp

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for damp

British Dictionary definitions for damp

damp

adjective

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for damp

Word Origin and History for damp (1 of 3)

damp

Word Origin and History for damp (1 of 3)

damp

Word Origin and History for damp (2 of 3)

damp