wet

[wet]

adjective

wetter, wettest 

1. moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid.

   wet hands.

   Antonyms: dry

2. in a liquid form or state.

   wet paint.

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

4. moistened or dampened with rain; rainy.

   Wet streets make driving hazardous.

   Synonyms: misty

5. allowing or favoring the sale of alcoholic beverages.

   a wet town.

6. characterized by frequent rain, mist, etc..

   the wet season.

7. laden with a comparatively high percent of moisture or vapor, especially water vapor.

   There was a wet breeze from the west.

   Synonyms: humid

8. Informal.

   1. intoxicated.

   2. marked by drinking.

      a wet night.

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

noun

1. something that is or makes wet, as water or other liquid; moisture.

   The wet from the earth had made the basement unlivable.

   Synonyms: humidity

2. damp weather; rain.

   Stay out of the wet as much as possible.

   Synonyms: drizzle

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

4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.,  wetback.

verb (used with object)

wet, wetted, wetting. 

1. to make (something) wet, as by moistening or soaking (sometimes followed by through ordown ).

   Wet your hands before soaping them.

2. to urinate on or in.

   The dog had wet the carpet.

verb (used without object)

wet, wetted, wetting. 

1. to become wet (sometimes followed by through ordown ).

   Dampness may cause plastered walls to wet. My jacket has wet through.

2. (of animals and children) to urinate.

wet

/ wɛt /

adjective

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

2. not yet dry or solid

   wet varnish

3. rainy, foggy, misty, or humid

   wet weather

4. employing a liquid, usually water

   a wet method of chemical analysis

5. characterized by or permitting the free sale of alcoholic beverages

   a wet state

6. informal,  feeble or foolish

7. informal,  immature or inexperienced; naive

noun

1. wetness or moisture

2. damp or rainy weather

3. informal,  a Conservative politician who is considered not to be a hard-liner Compare dry

4. informal,  a feeble or foolish person

5. a person who advocates free sale of alcoholic beverages

6. (in northern and central Australia) the rainy season

verb

1. to make or become wet

2. to urinate on (something)

3. dialect,  (tr) to prepare (tea) by boiling or infusing

4. informal,  to take an alcoholic drink

Other Word Forms

• wetly adverb
• wetness noun
• wetter noun
• wettish adjective
• nonwetted adjective
• rewet verb rewet, rewetted, rewetting
• unwet adjective
• unwetted adjective
• wettability noun
• wettable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wet¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wet¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. wet behind the ears, immature; naive; green.

   She was too wet behind the ears to bear such responsibilities.

2. all wet, completely mistaken; in error.

   He insisted that our assumptions were all wet.

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

4. wet one's whistle. whistle.

More idioms and phrases containing wet

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The fumes—sometimes described as smelling of “wet dog,” “Cheetos” or “nail polish”—have led to emergency landings, sickened passengers and affected pilots’ vision and reaction times midflight, according to official reports.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The index was created to answer what factors drive this kind of wet heat.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Firefighters continued suppression efforts during the day on Jan. 1, wetting down areas within the fire perimeter.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She said in that time she saw vulnerable older people left sitting alone for hours in urine-soaked clothes or lying in wet bedsheets, often calling out for help.

Read more on BBC

In big cities, he says, such recurrent, wet coughs are commonly triggered by dust and smog, sometimes accompanied by mild bronchospasm.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bathe 
• damp 
• dampen 
• dip 
• douse 
• drench 
• hose 
• irrigate 
• moisten 
• rinse 
• saturate 
• soak 
• splash 
• spray 
• sprinkle 
• steep 
• wash