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

• 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

Exterior upgrades include a more aggressive look with adaptive dampers, 22-inch wheels and black-and-chrome exterior accents, including black roof rails. —James Raia, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025

The loss puts a serious damper on the Trojans’ Playoff hopes. —The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

In fact, the new top mounts and custom R53 Engineering dampers are said to offer three percent more compliance than the donor 911. —Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025

Besides, if quarterly reporting is such a damper on long-term investment, someone forgot to tell big tech. —Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025

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