1
as in to moisten
to make or become slightly or moderately wet
dampen a paper towel with water and use it to clean up the mess
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
the oppressive heat dampened our spirits
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
nothing could dampen their enthusiasm
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dampen
Rain and flooding could dampen Memorial Day weekend in the South
Pleasant but cool temperatures
Pleasant conditions will be settling in from the Northeast to the Midwest, but below normal temperatures will linger for the holiday weekend.
—
Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 24 May 2025
Freshman Matthew Smith, who joined the club last fall, did not let being in the water dampen his enthusiasm for sailing.
—Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
If the courts are permanently enacted, staff will look into adding additional measures including sound dampening panels, painting new parking stalls away from the neighborhood and painting a red curb for emergency vehicle parking.
—Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
He was sentenced to nine days in jail, but his new film suggests that the experience has by no means dampened the fire in his filmmaking.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dampen
Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 24 May 2025
Freshman Matthew Smith, who joined the club last fall, did not let being in the water dampen his enthusiasm for sailing.
—Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
If the courts are permanently enacted, staff will look into adding additional measures including sound dampening panels, painting new parking stalls away from the neighborhood and painting a red curb for emergency vehicle parking.
—Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
He was sentenced to nine days in jail, but his new film suggests that the experience has by no means dampened the fire in his filmmaking.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dampen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dampen
Verb
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People can then take some steps to protect themselves, such as covering the mouth and nose with a scarf, using saline solutions to moisten the airways, and getting vaccinated when possible.—
Christophe Lavaysse,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Apr. 2025
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Wet the soil to moisten it up before spreading it evenly onto a clean baking sheet.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Overemphasizing uncertainties can be used to raise doubt and unduly undermine confidence in robust findings.—
H. Christopher Frey,
The Conversation,
5 June 2025
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The voucher program, which provides tax money to help pay for private and parochial school tuition, has undermined public education.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Cool compresses: Applying a clean, cool, and damp washcloth to the rash for five to 10 minutes can bring relief.—
Alisa Hrustic,
SELF,
9 Apr. 2025
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To prevent damping off, avoid overwatering and never let the trays or containers stand in water for any length of time.—
Betty Cahill,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Augmenting Human Relationships with AI AI's role in enhancing efficiency does not diminish the need for human expertise in B2B interactions.—
John Bruno,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The 25-year-old’s sample might be small, but in an era of diminishing workloads, Zack Wheeler and Max Fried are the only current starters averaging 6 1/3 innings.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Verb
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His mother wet a sponge to moisten his lips and tongue.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
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The president’s health has been the subject of speculation for years; in 2023, six journalists were arrested after they were accused of sharing a video that appeared to show the president wetting himself.—
Abdi Latif Dahir,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Kil noted that one of the features of the town hall remodel project will deaden the noise from the passing trains, which at times can drown out speakers during town meetings.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
18 May 2025
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She was shot three times at close range, with a blanket wrapped around the gun to deaden the sound.—
Christopher Goffard,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dampen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dampen. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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