dampen

[dam-puh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dampen ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make damp; moisten: to dampen a sponge.

to dull or deaden; depress: to dampen one's spirits.

damp(def 10).

verb (used without object)

to become damp.

Origin of dampen

First recorded in 1620–30; damp + -en¹

Related formsdamp·en·er, nounun·damp·ened, adjective

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

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

Related Words for dampened

depress, discourage, moderate, mute, inhibit, restrain, chill, curb, diminish, allay, stifle, dull, cloud, cool, dabble, moisten, sprinkle, water, spray, wet

Examples from the Web for dampened

Contemporary Examples of dampened

All of those other impediments have dampened the enthusiasm of pot investors and pot entrepreneurs.
Justice Department: Good News for Recreational Stoners
Winston Ross
August 30, 2013
The allure of working in the drug trade is strong for many, especially in areas where violence has dampened tourism.
As Drug War Continues, Mexico Celebrates Its Deceased
Teresa Puente
November 2, 2012
The creative energy that had made it the center of European literature before the war was dampened.
Great New Reads
The Daily Beast
October 31, 2010

Historical Examples of dampened

He bound up her head with a dampened bandage and left her to sleep.
Louisiana Lou
William West Winter
They dampened the delicate fabric, and I shook with agitation.
Continental Monthly, Vol. III, No IV, April 1863
Various
The paper was dampened and fastened to the chase at one end.
John Baptist Jackson
Jacob Kainen
Tracing cloth must be fastened by pins or thumb tacks, and not dampened.
Mechanical Drawing Self-Taught
Joshua Rose
The child stared, motionless, and it dampened her ardor for the moment.
A Little Girl in Old Quebec
Amanda Millie Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for dampened

dampen

verb

to make or become damp

(tr) to stifle; deaden

Derived Formsdampener, noun

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 dampened

dampen

1630s, "to dull or deaden" (of force, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.), from damp (adj.) + -en (1). Meaning "to moisten" is recorded from 1827. Related: Dampened; dampening.