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Synonyms

put a damper on

Idioms  

  1. Discourage, dishearten, deter, as in Grandpa's death put a damper on our Christmas holidays. This idiom employs the noun damper in the sense of “something that damps or depresses the spirits,” a usage dating from the mid-1700s.

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.

Should Powell stick around after his term ends on May 15, that could put a damper on the market, Smith said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

Kenvue has denied the claims, but investors have worried they will put a damper on Tylenol sales.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

Even if there aren’t any more cockroaches, the credit scare could still put a damper on the economy.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

Yet Shetty ruefully acknowledges that climate change has put a damper on that last part of his hometown’s legacy.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2025

He was in the floor-covering business in Houston, but high interest rates kind of put a damper on that.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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.