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
They had some Palestinian thyme and foraged wild greens to eat, but only that, and just enough water to moisten their mouths once in a while, Mr. Barda told a Times reporter.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 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
My mom’s eyes moisten; I quickly turn away.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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
Saliva contains mucus that moistens food and buffers the pH of the food.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 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
“That moistens your mouth to get it ready to spit,” he said.
From Washington Post
The kitchen has a hot stove, but the steam of its boiling kettles moistens the air.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 11, No. 68, June, 1863 by Various
The mark is made with the moistened ashes of palms that were burned after the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 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
They pump the CO₂ into a sealed vessel containing the moistened coffee beans, and the caffeine molecules dissolve in the CO₂.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2024
Add about half the heavy cream, and fold gently until the dry ingredients are just barely moistened.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
Only a few months before, she’d been peeling and stewing the soft food he ate, changing his diapers, cleaning his bedding and pajamas, and harrying his body with moistened towels and Q-tips.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
If there’s any residual moisture already present, such as from washing your herbs, I sometimes don’t even bother with initially moistening the towel.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022
In addition to moistening fuels, the rain also dampened the soil, which means that snowpack won’t be landing on bone-dry earth, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2021
I rose to my feet, moistening my dry lips.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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