adjective
-
slightly damp or wet
-
saturated with or suggestive of moisture
Related Words
See damp.
Other Word Forms
- moistful adjective
- moistless adjective
- moistly adverb
- moistness noun
- overmoist adjective
- semimoist adjective
Etymology
Origin of moist
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English moiste, from Middle French; connected with Latin mūcidus “musty, moldy”; mucid
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.
Instead she’s gone, and this weekend her family came with moist eyes and broken hearts to her funeral at the First Presbyterian Church in her hometown of Yorktown, N.Y.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
The goal texture here is precise: moist but not wet.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
Keep crowds and dogs away, keep noise low, and keep the animal cool and moist -ensuring no water enters the blowhole.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
According to Svenning, these trees often have thick leaves, dense wood, and long lifespans, and they are especially common in moist tropical and subtropical forests.
From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026
He could smell Tuf-Skin and ankle tape, week-old perspiration, moist towels mildewing in forgotten lockers, foot powder, ammonia, and unwashed socks.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
