moisture
Americannoun
-
condensed or diffused liquid, especially water.
moisture in the air.
-
a small quantity of liquid, especially water; enough liquid to moisten.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of moisture
1325–75; Middle English; see moist, -ure; compare Middle French moistour
Explanation
Moisture is the feeling of wetness — what you want in your cupcake but not in your diapers. Moisture is the noun related to the adjective moist, which you might use to describe damp soil, clammy air, or melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Moisture has also been known to promote mold growth and frizz otherwise tame hair, so it doesn't have many fans — other than tropical plants and the very thirsty.
Vocabulary lists containing moisture
Holes
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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"Brothers in Hope"
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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:
However, dry conditions remove moisture from vegetation making it more able to burn and act as fuel for blazes to take hold and spread.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The moisture will be confined to the Sierra and the Owens Valley side of the range and is not expected to reach the San Joaquin Valley, which is likely to see triple-digit heat, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The researchers focused on the species Armadillo sordidus, a little studied isopod that typically spends its time hidden beneath rocks and damp leaf litter, where moisture helps prevent it from drying out.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
Warmer sea surface temperatures drive more moisture into the atmosphere, supercharging storms.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Her face was slick with the moisture of tears and mucus, and once in a while she opened her mouth and extended her pepper-burned tongue to pant like a dog.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“The fuel moistures would have been too high, and the fire wouldn't have carried.”
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025
The effects of the current drought might not be immediately apparent, especially in Western Washington, but the symptoms can be seen in below-average stream flows, low reservoir levels and dry soil moistures, Bond said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
Despite the record-breaking rainstorm last week, fuel moistures are still low due to California’s multiyear drought, according to Sweet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2022
“We won’t have to worry about any significant fire danger in most situations for a while because fuel moistures are coming back up,” Sweet said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2021
For moistures in these twain Are near akin.
From On the Nature of Things by Leonard, William Ellery
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.
