dampen

play

verb damp·en \ˈdam-pən\

Definition of dampen

dampened

;

dampening

play \ˈdamp-niŋ, ˈdam-pə-\

transitive verb
1 : to check or diminish the activity or vigor of : deaden the heat dampened our spirits
2 : to make damp the shower barely dampened the ground
3 : damp 1c
intransitive verb
1 : to become damp
2 : to become deadened or depressed

dampener

play \-nər\ noun

See dampen defined for English-language learners

See dampen defined for kids

Examples of dampen in a Sentence

Dampen the spot with a wet cloth.
The shower barely dampened the ground.
We wouldn't let the bad weather dampen our excitement.

Recent Examples of dampen from the Web

Use a spray bottle or a wet sponge to dampen the skin along your temples.

— brooke shunatona, Cosmopolitan, "11 Halloween Looks You Can Create With Makeup You Already Have," 30 June 2017
McConnell is a shrewd legislator who likely knows that extending the debate around health care is likely to hurt his party and dampen the chances of passing a tax-reform plan later in the year.

— vanityfair.com, "Mitch McConnell’s Master Plan Goes Up in Smoke," 27 June 2017
These crossings simulate the way a signal from one neuron to another in the brain can be intensified or dampened based on the strength of the connection.

— matthew hutson, Science | AAAS, "Computer chip mimics human brain, with light beams for neurons," 20 June 2017
The USGA will look hard at the forecast and try to set up holes to dampen, not exacerbate, the effect of wind that can blow as hard as 30 mph.

— eddie pells, The Seattle Times, "Tough rough: US Open conditions can rob drama from a major," 12 June 2017
His decision to place primary responsibility for economic policy in the hands of two other Republicans further dampened any residual revanchism on the right.

— arthur goldhammer, The Atlantic, "Macron's Divide and Conquer Strategy," 10 June 2017
A slowing Chinese economy wouldn’t dampen Chinese consumers’ desire to travel and Ctrip will likely benefit as consumers become more affluent, Ms. Sun said at The Wall Street Journal’s D.Live Asia conference in Hong Kong on Friday.

— WSJ, "Ctrip.com: We Can Grow at Home and Overseas," 9 June 2017
Faced with dire financial circumstances during the Spanish recession that started in 2008, Barcelona transit officials opted to borrow more money rather than cut service that could dampen ridership in the long-term.

— martine powers, Washington Post, "In Germany, Metro’s troubles garner sympathy from around the world," 3 June 2017
The fact that companies are still struggling to address basic mentoring challenges can dampen the hope of addressing the more nuanced mentoring issues around, say, race, gender, or generational differences.

— mel jones, The Atlantic, "Why Can't Companies Get Mentorship Programs Right?," 2 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dampen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.