douse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
douses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
doused,
past participle, past
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dousing
present participle
-
to plunge into water or the like; drench.
She doused the clothes in soapy water.
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to splash or throw water or other liquid on.
The children doused each other with the hose.
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to extinguish.
She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.
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Informal. to remove; doff.
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Nautical.
-
to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.
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to slacken (a line) suddenly.
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to stow quickly.
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verb (used without object)
-
douses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
doused,
past participle, past
-
dousing
present participle
noun
verb
-
to plunge or be plunged into water or some other liquid; duck
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(tr) to drench with water, esp in order to wash or clean
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(tr) to put out (a light, candle, etc)
noun
verb
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nautical to lower (sail) quickly
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archaic to strike or beat
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dousesimple
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dousessimple
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have dousedperfect
-
has dousedperfect
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am dousingprogressive
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are dousingprogressive
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is dousingprogressive
-
have been dousingperfect progressive
-
has been dousingperfect progressive
Past
-
dousedsimple
-
had dousedperfect
-
was dousingprogressive
-
were dousingprogressive
-
had been dousingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of douse
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain
Explanation
Use the verb douse to describe covering something with water or other liquid. When you're camping, you douse the campfire with water when you're done with it. Douse often involves water, but you could also douse your French fries in ketchup. Douse can describe the act of extinguishing a candle, or even turning off a light. You might douse your bedroom light when it's time to sleep or simply douse a candle by blowing it out. Douse is most commonly pronounced to rhyme with mouse.
Vocabulary lists containing douse
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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.
See Examples For:
Two water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to douse the flames in areas difficult for firefighters to reach due to steep slopes and strong winds, he said in a statement Sunday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Down the road near Chippenham, Godwin's family have gone a step further, installing a network of what they call 'cow showers'- sprinklers that douse the cattle with cool water.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The roof later became structurally unsafe so firefighters used helicopters and water cannons to douse the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Winters tried to douse the furor with an initial post on Friday that said Standard Chartered “will continue to speak honestly about the impact of technological change.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The watchman made a frantic attempt to douse the flames with a dock hose, then ran from the marina.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
While wife Erica gently douses rumors, Sean McVay, Les Snead, Cooper Kupp and others hint that Aaron Donald is tempted to unretire and return to the Rams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
He no longer douses his sponge with dish liquid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
Forecasters said that breezes could blow away the smoke, while rain douses lingering wildfires and the region gets its first true taste of fall.
From New York Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
More playful than pedantic, Rashid douses his work in a heavy helping of humor — and with it comes the quiet guilt of catching yourself amused by scenes that are both funny and horrifying.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2021
I shake it, and when he pulls away, his mother—her eyes still locked on me—unsnaps a keychain-Purell and vigorously douses Jordan in it, practically giving him an entire hospital bath.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
For decades, research has extolled the benefits of a Mediterranean diet low in sugar, rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and doused in olive oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The Gironde wildfires might be under relative control for now, but they are far from doused.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“That’s a dynamic partnership between the two of them,” said Abbott, who got doused with water in the locker room after his first win as a head coach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
That made it 92-85 and effectively doused the Lakers’ comeback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
I placed bags puffy with chaos by the doused firepit and joined Miig at his site.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Emergency vehicles then arrived and began dousing the aircraft with water as one set of the rear tires appeared to burn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Wildfire in Suffolk burns near nuclear plant" the Guardian says, printed below a photo of firefighters dousing flames engulfing a cluster of trees.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Regional firefighting chief Marc Vermeulen warned his teams would still have to spend several days dousing water on remaining flames inside the forest as well as at its edges to avoid it picking up again.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
On Wednesday, Powell broached the issue when dousing speculation about a leadership vacuum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
The unfortunate explosion of fireworks in the water tower—and subsequent dousing of the president and the newly signed victory quilt—was a somewhat surprising turn of events.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
