dampen
verb (used with object)
is dampening
-
present progressiveof dampen (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
For now, though, the innovation is dampening Wall Street’s enthusiasm for financial firms that are already adapting to a backdrop of higher-for-longer interest rates that could crimp lending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
“Higher costs are eroding household purchasing power and compressing business margins, while heightened uncertainty is dampening business confidence and investment,” the UN said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Slowing economic activity in China from the nation’s “zero COVID” policy is dampening growth, Moody’s said.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022
While rate rises can be good for bank profits, the surge in borrowing costs is dampening demand for mortgage originations, according to MBA data and bank executives.
From Reuters ● Apr. 18, 2022
Exeter, Gloucester, and Glasgow are three great wet cities in my memory,—a damp cathedral in each, with a damp-coated usher to each, who shows damp tombs, and whose talk is dampening to the last degree.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 12, No. 73, November, 1863 by Various
