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
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
Rub a cut lemon around the rim of your serving dish to moisten.
From Washington Times ● May 28, 2023
To serve: Toss the cooked, room-temperature vermicelli with just enough Nuoc Cham to moisten the noodles.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2023
“But the next one will be better,” he said, and began to moisten another piece of clay.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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 epithet is, by hypallage, transferred from the person to the dew or cold sweat which ‘dips’ or moistens his body.
From Milton's Comus by William Bell
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
In the relatively new carbon dioxide method, developed in the early 1970s, producers use high-pressure CO₂ to extract caffeine from moistened coffee beans.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2024
Stir in buttermilk with a broad spatula until just moistened.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
Mix, scraping the bowl as needed, just until the dough is evenly moistened, 1 to 2 minutes.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
“Nightshade, perhaps. A few berries only. Leaves, moistened in wine, applied to the temple.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
In other words, extra heat and moisture from the warm sea surface are moistening the atmospheric river storms as they approach California, making them more likely to deliver heavy rainfall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
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
“Go on,” said Harker hoarsely; so he bowed his head and moistening his lips with his tongue, added: “except that the poor fellow is dead.”
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
