douse

1 of 4

verb (1)

ˈdau̇s 

also

ˈdau̇z 

variants or less commonly dowse

doused also dowsed; dousing also dowsing

transitive verb

1

: to plunge into water

Blanch the green beans then douse them in a bath of ice water.

2

a

: to throw a liquid on : drench

The books were doused in gasoline and set ablaze.

doused herself in perfume

b

: slosh

3

[originally in argot use (douse the glim meaning "extinguish the light") and perhaps of distinct origin] : extinguish

douse the lights

douse the blaze

intransitive verb

: to fall or become plunged into water

douser noun

or less commonly dowser

douse

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈdau̇s 

also

ˈdau̇z 

: a heavy drenching

a douse of cold water

douse

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈdüs  ˈdau̇s 

British

: blow, stroke

douse

4 of 4

verb (2)

ˈdau̇s 

doused; dousing

transitive verb

1

nautical

a

: to take in : lower, strike

douse a sail

b

: slacken

douse a rope

2

: take off, doff

doused his hat

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• remove

Noun (2)

• blow
• slap
• knock
• hit
• swipe
• thump
• lick
• whack
• punch
• poke
• smack
• spank
• thud
• stroke
• pound
• beat
• slam
• bang

Examples of douse in a Sentence

Verb (1)

in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors

Noun (2)

those soccer hooligans need a sound douse or two from a police officer's club

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Even thinking of Keith couldn’t completely douse the fire Shane started on the lawn. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 22 July 2025

Dozens of people were rescued from floodwaters Thursday after severe weather and thunderstorms doused the Kansas City metro Wednesday night into Thursday morning. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2025

Noun

The fire, named the Airport fire by South Metro, saw minimal growth overnight as crews worked to douse hotspots and protect the containment lines, the agency said in a Monday update. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 14 July 2025

Beside it, a smaller vessel named Lupo sat, completely coated in thick white foam firefighters use to douse fires. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

of obscure origin

Note: 16th-century douse "to strike, inflict a blow on" — see douse entry 3 may be related but is remote in sense

Noun (1)

noun derivative of douse entry 1

Noun (2)

noun derivative of earlier douse "to strike, inflict a blow on," akin by borrowing or descent to Middle Dutch dossen "to strike, shove," Early Modern Dutch doesen, German dialect dusen, tusen, tausen

Verb (2)

perhaps sense extensions of earlier douse "to strike, inflict a blow on" — more at douse entry 3

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1566, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1835, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for douse

• blouse
• bouse
• dowse
• grouse
• haus
• louse
• mouse
• rouse
• spouse
• youse
• alehouse
• almshouse

Kids Definition

douse

verb

variants also dowse

ˈdau̇s,

 also  ˈdau̇z

doused also dowsed; dousing also dowsing

1

a

: to stick into water

b

: to throw a liquid on

2

: to put out : extinguish

douse the lights