moisten

American

[moi-suhn] / ˈmɔɪ sən /

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become moist.

Synonyms:

spray, sponge, wet, dampen

moisten British

/ ˈmɔɪsən /

verb

to make or become moist

"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

moistener noun
overmoisten verb
premoistened adjective
remoisten verb
supermoisten verb (used with object)
unmoisten verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of moisten

First recorded in 1570–80; moist + -en ¹

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.

The teacher bristled, with anger moistening her eyes: “Just think of where you would prefer to live.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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

This and other recent rainfall have done much to moisten the landscape and make it harder for blazes to start.

From Los Angeles Times

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

With the air so dry — and not moistening up overnight — it is a “really concerning period for humidities,” Kittell said.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023