damper

noun

damp·​er ˈdam-pər 

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

Synonyms of damper

• mute

Examples of damper in a Sentence

the pianist used the damper pedal on the piano for the quiet passages

Recent Examples on the Web

The dampers firm up in response to harder driving, keeping body motions in check beautifully, especially for a car on knobbier tires. —Byron Hurd, The Drive, 22 Jan. 2026

Unless a fire is burning, close your fireplace damper to prevent warm air from escaping up the chimney. —Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026

The front suspension uses a single spring up front, but twin dampers are required in the rear to deal with the D7X-R’s 145-gallon fuel tank. —Karl Brauer, Robb Report, 19 Jan. 2026

Chassis-wise, the Integra features semi-independent front and rear independent suspension with some clever tuning throughout, namely in its adaptive dampers. —Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing damper

• put a damper on

Rhymes for damper

• camper
• hamper
• pamper
• scamper
• stamper
• tamper

Kids 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