moisten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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moistens,
present (3rd person singular)
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moistened,
past participle, past
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moistening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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moistenernoun
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overmoistenverb
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remoistenverb
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supermoistenverb (used with object)
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unmoistenverb (used with object)
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premoistenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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moistensimple
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moistenssimple
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have moistenedperfect
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has moistenedperfect
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am moisteningprogressive
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are moisteningprogressive
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is moisteningprogressive
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have been moisteningperfect progressive
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has been moisteningperfect progressive
Past
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moistenedsimple
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had moistenedperfect
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was moisteningprogressive
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were moisteningprogressive
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had been moisteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of moisten
Explanation
To moisten is to make something slightly damp or just barely wet. It used to be necessary to moisten a postage stamp with your tongue before sticking it on an envelope, but today stamps stick without being licked. A misty rain will moisten your hair, and running uphill moistens your forehead with sweat. Your houseplant that prefers a small amount of water will be happiest if you barely moisten the soil. While rain overnight will leave your front lawn soaking wet, the morning dew will simply moisten each blade of grass. Moisten comes from moist, from the Old French moiste, "damp." The Latin root means something closer to "moldy or slimy."
Vocabulary lists containing moisten
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:
This and other recent rainfall have done much to moisten the landscape and make it harder for blazes to start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025
Just moisten the potting mix, preferably one with a high percentage of organic matter, to help the blocks hold their shape.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
Then, they used energy dissipation models to compare the seals' ability to warm and moisten air during inhalation and to reduce heat and moisture loss during exhalation.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2023
Spread the spores evenly over the substrate and gently moisten it once, then mist or spray it with water twice daily, keeping it consistently moist but not soggy.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
He watched as her tongue moved to moisten her blistered lips.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
You'll be in awe of the soft, warm pockets of spiced, tender apple, as well as how much the apple moistens the cake.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2022
The teeth and jaw mechanically chew the food, and saliva from the salivary glands moistens the food and begins chemical digestion.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Saliva contains mucus that moistens food and buffers the pH of the food.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
“That moistens your mouth to get it ready to spit,” he said.
From Washington Post
The way he tells it was real earnest, and at some points them whey coloured eyes of his moistens up good an' dewy; but he finishes strong and smilin'.
From Side-stepping with Shorty by Sewell Ford
And your throat hitched up against your will and your eyes moistened and when they started with “USA! USA!” you gave up, gave in, and pumped your fist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Months earlier, in March, farmworkers had used a machine to drop each little plant, grown in a greenhouse, into the moistened soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
Press the soil block maker into the moistened potting mix and rock back and forth to fill.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
Mix, scraping the bowl as needed, just until the dough is evenly moistened, 1 to 2 minutes.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
She moistened a cloth with water from her canteen and tossed it to him.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
The teacher bristled, with anger moistening her eyes: “Just think of where you would prefer to live.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
A wet March has provided a welcome partial relief to farmers by moistening soil ahead of planting but underground water levels remain dangerously low, especially around the Mediterranean.
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
Under normal conditions, that melting should continue through the spring and well into summer, filling the state’s man-made reservoirs and moistening soils and plants.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2022
Some rain fell over the southeastern portions of the fire Thursday into Friday, moistening vegetation and decreasing burning intensity, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2021
I rose to my feet, moistening my dry lips.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
