wet

American  

[wet] / wɛt /

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.

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.

wet British  

/ 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

wet More Idioms  

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)

---

Related Words

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 Word Forms

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

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Her sweaty palms wet the speech in support of Alex that she plans to read to the judge—and to Alex.

From Literature

The houses promised by the government were incomplete, the cement still wet, so they slept outdoors at first, terrified of snakes and other wild animals in the bushy new clearing.

From Literature

The mishaps during a run-through that the US space agency calls a "wet dress rehearsal" dashed hopes that the mission around the Moon could launch as soon as Sunday.

From Barron's

Cooking has become difficult, she says, because rain has made the ground wet and rats move through the debris.

From BBC

His face is bright red from exertion and his shirt is wet with sweat.

From Literature

Related Words

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