wet

[ wet ]

/ wɛt /

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

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 wetness, humidity, dampness, dankness.

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

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

How to use wet in a sentence

From age seven to 13, he knew his mom was suffering and it made him, he says, timid, scared, and a bed-wetter.
Their Awful Night|Touré|February 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Lewis came under cover wetter than he would have been had he been in swimming, he declared.
The Carter Girls' Week-End Camp|Nell Speed
Virginia, head still bent, was touching her wet lace waist with her wetter gloves.
The Firing Line|Robert W. Chambers
Astralit (Wetter): ammonium nitrate explosive containing some blasting gelatine.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various

Albit (Wetter): a chlorate explosive replacing nitrates; scarce during the war.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
"Turn it off," shouted Louise, already pretty wet and surely getting wetter.
The Girl Scouts at Sea Crest|Lillian Garis

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)