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.

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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

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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)

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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

California’s wet winter continued Saturday as rain fell across the Southland, grounding flights coming in and out of Santa Barbara Airport and causing extensive road closures along the coast.

From Los Angeles Times

And because the gas pump wasn’t covered by an overhead awning, he was also soaking wet.

From The Wall Street Journal

California’s already wet winter is breaking rainfall records, with another powerful storm moving in this weekend along with the threat of new flooding and mudslides.

From Los Angeles Times

This ability helps them survive in wet, shaded, and bog-like environments where many other plants struggle to grow.

From Science Daily

Thursday in Pasadena amid a wet winter storm that could result in the first rainy parade in two decades.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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