douse
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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)
noun
verb
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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
- douser noun
Etymology
Origin of douse
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain
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.
The earlier disaster may have helped douse a decades-long conflict between Aceh's separatists and the Indonesian government, but a simmering mistrust of Jakarta lingers.
From Barron's
He posted a video on TikTok of his experiment: Spending the day in clothes doused with an entire bottle of Axe.
In December however the US Food and Drug Administration doused hopes for its tolebrutinib drug by refusing to approve it for a form of multiple sclerosis.
From Barron's
Prediction market traders can bet on everything that sportsbook bettors can—the total number of points scored by both teams, individual player statistics, and even what color Gatorade the winning coach will be doused in.
From Barron's
As the story goes, Bellinger doused his property with water and, when the supply ran dry, resorted to cider.
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.
