wet

¹wet

adj \ˈwet\

wet·terwet·test

Definition of WET

1

a : consisting of, containing, covered with, or soaked with liquid (as water) b of natural gas : containing appreciable quantities of readily condensable hydrocarbons

2

: rainy <wet weather>

3

: still moist enough to smudge or smear <wet paint>

4

a : drunk 1a <a wet driver> b : having or advocating a policy permitting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages <a wet county> <a wet candidate>

5

: preserved in liquid

6

: employing or done by means of or in the presence of water or other liquid <wet extraction of copper>

7

: overly sentimental

8

British a : lacking strength of character : weak, spineless b : belonging to the moderate or liberal wing of the Conservative party

— wet·ly adverb

— wet·ness noun

— all wet

: completely wrong : in error

— wet behind the ears

: immature, inexperienced

Examples of WET

1. a pile of wet clothes
2. Be careful not to slip on the wet floor.
3. My hair is still wet.
4. My shoes got wet when I stepped in the puddle.
5. The grass was wet with dew.
6. Don't touch the paint. It's still wet.

Origin of WET

Middle English, partly from past participle of weten to wet & partly from Old English wǣt wet; akin to Old Norse vātr wet, Old English wæter water

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to WET

Synonyms: awash, bathed, bedraggled, doused (also dowsed), drenched, dripping, logged, saturate, saturated, soaked, soaking, sodden, soggy, sopping, soppy, soused, washed, watered, waterlogged, water-soaked, watery

Antonyms: arid, dry, unwatered, waterless

Related Words: deluged, drowned, flooded, inundated, overflowed; submerged, swamped; hydrated; dipped, dunked, splashed; aqueous; steeped; flushed, irrigated, laved, rinsed, sluiced; clammy, damp, dampish, dank, humid, moist, semimoist, wettish; boggy, miry, seepy, sloppy, squashy

Near Antonyms: bone-dry, hyperarid, ultradry; waterproof, water-repellent, water-resistant, watertight; baked, dehydrated, freeze-dried; droughty, parched, sere (also sear), sunbaked, thirsty; wrung

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Synonym Discussion of WET

wet, damp, dank, moist, humid mean covered or more or less soaked with liquid. wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (as paint) not yet dry <slipped on the wet pavement>. damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture <clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place>. dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness <a prisoner in a cold, dank cell>. moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry <treat the injury with moist heat>. humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air <a hot, humid climate>.

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

Rhymes with WET

bet, debt, fret, get, het, jet, let, Lett, met, net, pet, ret, set, stet, sweat, Tet, threat, vet, whet, yet