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

The front independent suspension uses coil springs and damper struts, with a four-link, coil-spring system at the rear. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025

However, a cooling in workers’ pay gains is coming at a time when inflation is starting to heat back up, putting an additional damper on already moderating consumer spending. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025

Adaptive dampers control the Prelude's ride, and there are four different drive modes. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025

The one major slight that really puts a significant damper on things was the Jake Walman trade. —Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 20 Aug. 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