damper
a person or thing that damps or depresses: His glum mood put a damper on their party.
a movable plate for regulating the draft in a stove, furnace, etc.
Music.
a device in stringed keyboard instruments to deaden the vibration of the strings.
the mute of a brass instrument, as a horn.
Electricity. an attachment to keep the indicator of a measuring instrument from oscillating excessively, as a set of vanes in a fluid or a short-circuited winding in a magnetic field.
Machinery. a shock absorber.
Australian.
a round, flat cake made of flour and water, and cooked over a campfire.
the dough for such cakes.
Origin of damper
1Words Nearby damper
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use damper in a sentence
Many workers are being granted increasing flexibility to work from home, which will continue to put a damper on future revenue.
Amazon will help fund 1,000 affordable housing units near Metro stations | Teo Armus, Justin George | June 16, 2021 | Washington PostAny periods of downward motion put a damper on cloud cover production, allowing one to discern the atmospheric waves radiating outward.
Satellites capture dozens of explosive eruptions from La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent island | Matthew Cappucci | April 12, 2021 | Washington PostWith the pandemic putting a damper on public transit, the automotive industry continued to fare well while other verticals may have seen larger sales dips.
Microsoft Advertising announces Automotive Ads open beta in the US and UK | Carolyn Lyden | March 31, 2021 | Search Engine LandIt doesn’t have a whoosh of air or a physical damper rubbing on the wheel to make annoying sounds as the pedaling gets tougher.
NordicTrack’s connected workout bike puts the focus on competing against yourself | Stan Horaczek | October 15, 2020 | Popular-ScienceKitchell concluded, however, that if one wants to minimize damage in the unlikely event of a rare 975-year quake, earthquake dampers should be installed at a projected multimillion-dollar cost.
Flaws and Assumptions Render 101 Ash St. Assessment Meaningless | Sandor Shapery | September 10, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
Changes in the level of subsidies and feed-in tariffs can put a damper on activity.
Translation: the weather put a big damper on construction activity.
The U.S. Economy Had a Hiccup, Not a Heart Attack, This Year | Daniel Gross | May 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf anything, the idea of Kristen Stewart, expert wet blanket, only got even damper.
How Jennifer Lawrence Took Over Hollywood. (It’s Not Just Because of Her Charm.) | Kevin Fallon | December 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe rain here in Tampa, though not yet at tropical-storm levels, has put a damper on the now delayed convention.
Leno said he felt the same as he try to put a damper on any such talk at a post-roast press conference.
Jay Leno Wins Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Award | Samuel P. Jacobs | February 4, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTJust as the Admiral was going, Ward (of the Intelligence) crossed over with a nasty little damper.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonIt was such a damper as to be most mortifying to an enthusiastic girl, and she drew into herself in a moment.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte YongeHis friend promised to look after mother and me, but somehow the philanthropist put a damper on the promise.
Ways of War and Peace | Delia AustrianThe passageway was growing damper; water trickled down the walls and gathered in fetid pools on the floor.
Star Born | Andre NortonA damper seemed to have been placed on all their spirits, and the flow of conversation was sluggish and dull.
The Mysteries of Montreal | Charlotte Fuhrer
British Dictionary definitions for damper
/ (ˈdæmpə) /
a person, event, or circumstance that depresses or discourages
put a damper on to produce a depressing or inhibiting effect on: the bad news put a damper on the party
a movable plate to regulate the draught in a stove or furnace flue
a device to reduce electronic, mechanical, acoustic, or aerodynamic oscillations in a system
music the pad in a piano or harpsichord that deadens the vibration of each string as its key is released
mainly Australian and NZ any of various unleavened loaves and scones, typically cooked on an open fire
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with damper
see put a damper on.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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