douse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
douses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
doused,
past participle, past
-
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
A Recipe for Success: Thanksgiving Cooking Words
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"Of Mice and Men"
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The Cay
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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:
Footage circulated on social media showing a plume of smoke rising from the aircraft, as firefighters were deployed to douse the flames.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 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
Julian wants to destroy the unfinished Christophers, but can’t bring himself to douse the canvases in kerosene and light the match.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026
Regular fertilizers such as urea, by contrast, douse plants in nitrogen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
“I’ll give you ten minutes before you douse him with the nearest beverage.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
Just when you think a cat-and-mouse game is about to begin, the film douses you in endearing romantic and familial drama; just as surprisingly, danger creeps back into the narrative.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
Then Chambers douses a Confederate flag with gasoline and lights it on fire.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2022
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
A series of herring gulls have been found doused in oil in the west of the Isle of Man, prompting concerns from conservationists.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
He said he ran to save a trailer that was ablaze and even caught fire himself before firefighters doused him and the vehicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Once inside, the Resistance members pulled documents out of drawers, piled them up on the floor and doused them with benzene.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Even once brought under control, officials have warned it will take weeks or even months of soaking and dousing to prevent the fire from reigniting.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Five appliances were in attendance, with firefighters seen dousing the flames.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
On Wednesday, Powell broached the issue when dousing speculation about a leadership vacuum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Firefighters let it burn, citing the dangers of dousing lithium-ion battery fires with water, which can cause dangerous chemical reactions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025
His head still dripped water from the scrubbing and dousing.
From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
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.
