1
: a dulling or deadening influence
put a damper on the celebration
2
: a device that damps: such as
a
: a valve or plate (as in the flue of a furnace) for regulating the draft
b
: a small felted block to stop the vibration of a piano string
c
chiefly British
: shock absorber
3
Australia
: a simple usually unleavened bread of a kind made originally in the Australian bush
Examples of damper in a Sentence
the pianist used the damper pedal on the piano for the quiet passages
Recent Examples on the Web
For one, the Los Angeles fires put a slight damper on the energy.
—
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
The catastrophic Southern California wildfires, combined with winter storms and the presidential inauguration, have put an understandable damper on the latest leg of awards season, with most of this year’s Oscar contenders stepping back from the usual campaigning in recent weeks.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
Make sure your fireplace damper is closed to ensure no cold air is seeping into your home.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025
What’s strange here are the dampers.
—Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for damper
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Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
The catastrophic Southern California wildfires, combined with winter storms and the presidential inauguration, have put an understandable damper on the latest leg of awards season, with most of this year’s Oscar contenders stepping back from the usual campaigning in recent weeks.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
Make sure your fireplace damper is closed to ensure no cold air is seeping into your home.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025
What’s strange here are the dampers.
—Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for damper
Cite this Entry
“Damper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damper. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
damper
noun
damp·er
ˈdam-pər 
: one that damps : as
a
: a valve or plate (as in the flue of a furnace) for regulating the draft
b
: a device (as one of the felt-covered pieces of wood in a piano) used to deaden vibrations or oscillations
c
: a dulling or deadening influence
put a damper on the celebration
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