verb
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to make or become damp
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(tr) to stifle; deaden
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dampen
Explanation
To dampen something is to stifle it, to lessen its effect, or to moisten it. Getting a cold will dampen your enthusiasm. This word has several related meanings, most of which make something less effective or powerful. Using a towel will dampen it in the sense of getting it wet, but dampening goes beyond things that are damp (wet). Bad news will dampen your mood, bringing it down. Boxing gloves dampen the force of punches because they cushion the blows. Anything dampened has been weakened and brought down a notch.
Vocabulary lists containing dampen
Out of the Dust
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Undefeated
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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.
Civil liberties groups have reacted to the 2026 race by trying to deepen, not dampen, voter engagement.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
The move may dampen volume demand, but high international gold prices will likely outweigh that.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Appointees adapt to the committee’s norms, and the committee’s norms dampen the influence of any one voice.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
Ultimately, it will dampen the very economic activity Congress budgeted to preserve.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
Danny the K didn’t dampen Rukia Marshall’s far-out thinking one iota.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
