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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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Nothing, not even Freddy and Teddy moaning and groaning as they filed off the bus, could put a damper on today.

From Literature

That’s put a damper on the optimism heading into this year about a potential dollar rebound.

From MarketWatch

But it could put a damper on the Rose Parade, beginning with the spectators camping out along Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Eve to secure a prime viewing spot.

From Los Angeles Times

However, uneasiness over the sustainability of the AI trade persists, which could put a damper on investors’ spirits.

From MarketWatch

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.