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Synonyms

douse

American  
[dous] / daʊs /
Or dowse

verb (used with object)

doused, dousing

  1. to plunge into water or the like; drench.

    She doused the clothes in soapy water.

  2. to splash or throw water or other liquid on.

    The children doused each other with the hose.

  3. to extinguish.

    She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.

  4. Informal. to remove; doff.

  5. Nautical.

    1. to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.

    2. to slacken (a line) suddenly.

    3. to stow quickly.

verb (used without object)

doused, dousing

  1. to plunge or be plunged into a liquid.

noun

  1. British Dialect. a stroke or blow.

douse 1 British  
/ daʊs /

verb

  1. to plunge or be plunged into water or some other liquid; duck

  2. (tr) to drench with water, esp in order to wash or clean

  3. (tr) to put out (a light, candle, etc)

"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

noun

  1. an immersion

"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
douse 2 British  
/ daʊs /

verb

  1. nautical to lower (sail) quickly

  2. archaic to strike or beat

"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

noun

  1. archaic a blow

"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 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.

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.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the night the fire broke out, Caruso voiced his fury on live television about empty fire hydrants and the overall lack of water to douse the flames.

From Los Angeles Times

It was as though someone had doused her in ice water.

From Literature

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.