Jump to:

• wet blanket
  wet blanket

  noun

  a blanket dampened with water so as to extinguish a fire.
• wet-blanket
  wet-blanket

  verb (used with object)

  to extinguish (a fire) with a wet blanket.

wet blanket

¹ American  

noun

1. a blanket dampened with water so as to extinguish a fire.

2. a person or thing that dampens enthusiasm or enjoyment.

   Nobody asked him to join the group because he's such a wet blanket.

---

wet-blanket ² American  

[wet-blang-kit] / ˈwɛtˈblæŋ kɪt /

verb (used with object)

1. to extinguish (a fire) with a wet blanket.

2. to dampen the enthusiasm or enjoyment of (a person, group, etc.).

---

wet blanket British  

noun

1. informal a person whose low spirits or lack of enthusiasm have a depressing effect on others

---

wet blanket Cultural  

1. Someone who dampens enthusiasm: “We were all having a good time until Harold walked in and started acting like a wet blanket.”

---

wet blanket Idioms  

1. A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm, as in Don't be such a wet blanket—the carnival will be fun! This expression alludes to smothering a fire with a wet blanket. [Early 1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of wet blanket¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Origin of wet-blanket²

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

What’s Next: The court injunction could keep the deal in limbo for months as litigation unfolds and possibly throw a wet blanket on other transactions in the media.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

In contradicting Archie’s combustible ignorance with facts and understanding, Meathead was often the wet blanket spoiling Archie’s good time in the tight Queens palace that the Bunkers and Stivics shared.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2025

She said she knows people at work roll their eyes and maybe think she’s kind of a wet blanket with all of her hand-wringing about plastic waste.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2023

Huddled together under a wet blanket, Tree and Birdie didn’t know the house was on fire until the basement filled with smoke.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2022

Sweat beaded on my forehead as that pressure from earlier in the day smothered me like a wet blanket.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia