moisten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
There’s nothing like a life-and-death situation turning out “life” to moisten one’s eyes, especially if you or a loved one has spent any time in the medical system, or feared the possibility.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 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
They love hot, dry conditions, but they need the occasional downpour to moisten the soil in which they incubate their eggs.
From New York Times • Feb. 14, 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
He watched as her tongue moved to moisten her blistered lips.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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.
