wet

[ wet ]

/ wɛt /

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See synonyms for: wet / wetted / wetter / wettest on Thesaurus.com

Definition of wet

adjective, wet·ter, wet·test.

moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid: wet hands.

in a liquid form or state: wet paint.

characterized by the presence or use of water or other liquid.

moistened or dampened with rain; rainy: Wet streets make driving hazardous.

allowing or favoring the sale of alcoholic beverages: a wet town.

characterized by frequent rain, mist, etc.: the wet season.

laden with a comparatively high percent of moisture or vapor, especially water vapor: There was a wet breeze from the west.

Informal.

intoxicated.
marked by drinking: a wet night.

using water or done under or in water, as certain chemical, mining, and manufacturing processes.

noun

something that is or makes wet, as water or other liquid; moisture: The wet from the earth had made the basement unlivable.

damp weather; rain: Stay out of the wet as much as possible.

a person in favor of allowing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. wetback.

verb (used with object), wet or wet·ted, wet·ting.

to make (something) wet, as by moistening or soaking (sometimes followed by through or down): Wet your hands before soaping them.

to urinate on or in: The dog had wet the carpet.

verb (used without object), wet or wet·ted, wet·ting.

to become wet (sometimes followed by through or down): Dampness may cause plastered walls to wet. My jacket has wet through.

(of animals and children) to urinate.

OTHER WORDS FOR wet

1 dampened, drenched.

4 misty, drizzling.

7 humid.

10 dampness, dankness, humidity, wetness.

11 drizzle.

See synonyms for wet on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR wet

1 dry.

See antonyms for wet on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about wet

all wet, Informal. completely mistaken; in error: He insisted that our assumptions were all wet.

wet behind the ears, immature; naive; green: She was too wet behind the ears to bear such responsibilities.

wet one's whistle. whistle (def. 15).

wet out, to treat (fabric) with a wetting agent to increase its absorbency.

Origin of wet

First recorded before 900; Middle English wett, past participle of weten,Old English wǣtan “to wet”; replacing Middle English weet,Old English wǣt, cognate with Old Frisian wēt,Old Norse vātr; akin to water

synonym study for wet

14. Wet, drench, saturate, soak imply moistening something. To wet is to moisten in any manner with water or other liquid: to wet or dampen a cloth. Drench suggests wetting completely as by a downpour: A heavy rain drenched the fields. Saturate implies wetting to the limit of absorption: to saturate a sponge. To soak is to keep in a liquid for a time: to soak beans before baking.

OTHER WORDS FROM wet

wetly, adverbwetness, nounwetter, nounwettish, adjective

non·wet·ted, adjectivere·wet, verb re·wet or re·wet·ted, re·wet·ting.un·wet, adjectiveun·wet·ted, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wet

wet , whet

Words nearby wet

Westwego, West Wind Drift, Westwood, westwork, West Yorkshire, wet, weta, wet AMD, wet-and-dry-bulb thermometer, wetback, wet bar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use wet in a sentence

Ken Chapman flies a strange-looking helicopter for Erickson Incorporated called an S-64 Aircrane, and to get the wet stuff on board, all he has to do is submerge a snorkel about 18 inches deep in a body of water.
How aerial firefighters battle blazes from the skies|Rob Verger|August 27, 2020|Popular-Science
While fire is a normal and necessary part of much of California’s forest and rangelands, the region’s trend toward heightened wet and dry extremes, coupled with overall warmer conditions, make the state especially primed for high-intensity burns.
California and the Forest Service have a plan to prevent future catastrophic fires|Ula Chrobak|August 27, 2020|Popular-Science
The MJO travels eastward along the equator as winds push warm, wet air high into the atmosphere, where the air dries out, cools and descends back toward the surface.
Improved three-week weather forecasts could save lives from disaster|Alexandra Witze|August 27, 2020|Science News
I took a hose to the pack for a few minutes, and some of my outer layers got wet through the zippers.
The Matador SEG42 Offers Unrivaled Gear Organization|Graham Averill|August 25, 2020|Outside Online

So don’t think you’re totally safe because, if something failed, this area will get wet.
Nobody’s Talking About the Sports Arena Flood Zone|MacKenzie Elmer|August 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Fidel jumped out and hopped into the ocean without getting wet.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Have you noticed there are some people who would love to put a big wet blanket on all of this?
Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas from Abominable Killjoys (Other Christians)|Brandy Zadrozny|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After she “got her feet wet,” Knox began writing under her own name.
Amanda Knox, Cub Reporter: The Convicted Murderer Is Now Writing Theater Reviews for a Small Seattle Paper|Justin Miller|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If those dry counties get wet, those border stores could find their revenue drying up.
Will Arkansas’ Prohibition Finally End?|Jack Holmes|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A September poll found 79 percent of likely voters “believe that counties should decide for themselves whether to be wet or dry.”
Will Arkansas’ Prohibition Finally End?|Jack Holmes|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He turned to the gentle accents of his sweet Alice, breathed in a letter which had been wet with her grateful tears.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Turn we our backs to the cold gloomy north, to the wet windy west, to the dry parching east—on to the south!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The farmer told him it was six miles; "but," he added, "you must ride sharp, or you will get a wet jacket before you reach it."
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
No; they shall stay at home, and never learn anything, sooner than go and get wet.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Her fat red cheeks would quiver with emotion, and be wet with briny tears, over the sorrows of Mr. Trollope's heroines.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for wet

wet

/ (wɛt) /

adjective wetter or wettest

moistened, covered, saturated, etc, with water or some other liquid

not yet dry or solidwet varnish

rainy, foggy, misty, or humidwet weather

employing a liquid, usually watera wet method of chemical analysis

mainly US and Canadian characterized by or permitting the free sale of alcoholic beveragesa wet state

British informal feeble or foolish

wet behind the ears informal immature or inexperienced; naive

noun

wetness or moisture

damp or rainy weather

British informal a Conservative politician who is considered not to be a hard-linerCompare dry (def. 21)

British informal a feeble or foolish person

mainly US and Canadian a person who advocates free sale of alcoholic beverages

the wet Australian (in northern and central Australia) the rainy season

verb wets, wetting, wet or wetted

to make or become wet

to urinate on (something)

(tr) dialect to prepare (tea) by boiling or infusing

wet one's whistle informal to take an alcoholic drink

Derived forms of wet

wetly, adverbwetness, nounwettability, nounwettable, adjective

wetter, nounwettish, adjective

Word Origin for wet

Old English wǣt; related to Old Frisian wēt, Old Norse vātr, Old Slavonic vedro bucket

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wet

wet

In addition to the idioms beginning with wet

wet behind the ears
wet blanket
wet one's whistle

also see:

all wet
get one's feet wet
like (wet as) a drowned rat
mad as a hornet (wet hen)