douse

1 of 4

verb (1)

variants or less commonly
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)

: a heavy drenching
a douse of cold water
British

douse

4 of 4

verb (2)

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

Examples of douse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Gem paired its unmatched wine selection with fluke crudo, grilled cabbage, roasted golden chicken, and finally, pavlova doused in passion fruit. Megan O'Sullivan, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023 Plus, nothing captures true love quite like one person’s eyes constantly rolling to the back of their head and the other acting as though any instance of physical touch is on par with being doused in acid. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023 In the clip, the guests can be seen reacting to getting doused by neighbor Marcus Rosebrock in the backyard of the Forest Hills, Queens, home of Yves Duroseau, the head of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, and his wife Claude. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 28 Sep. 2023 Some firefighters doused the fire from outside while others searched the house and worked from inside. David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2023 The Park Service also doused the backwater with a fish-killing poison. WIRED, 4 Nov. 2023 The Fed has sought to douse the hottest inflation in four decades by curbing demand for homes and autos, with price increases moderating this year. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2023 The Toronto moviegoers weren’t doused in as much glitter as Nas’s fans are at his concerts, but plenty of people showed up in denim chaps or silk robes hand-painted with horses, and clapped and sang along with joy. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023 The trio were arrested during the May 30, 2020, protest in Las Vegas while Parshall was ripping rags and dousing them in gasoline to make a Molotov cocktail. USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023
Noun
Greece’s state broadcaster ERT aired footage showing a yellow aircraft releasing water to douse burning trees before appearing to crash and burst into flames. Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 26 July 2023 For the sixth day in a row, firefighters were battling on Sunday to douse blazes on the Greek island of Rhodes that have trapped thousands of tourists and locals, forcing many to spend the night in hotel lobbies, gymnasiums, schools or boats docked at the port. Niki Kitsantonis, New York Times, 24 July 2023 The military has used them in foams to help douse fires that involve oil. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 23 June 2023 The raging fire — in the 11400 block of Nardin Park, north of I-96 and Grand River — broke out at about 6:30 a.m. and took nearly four hours to douse, Detroit Fire Chief James Harris said. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 30 Mar. 2023 Even the New York-style dogs, made with chuck that chef Logan Gates butchers from the cow, stuffs into a casing and douses in mustard and sauerkraut on a soft split-top bun from Old School Bakery in Delray Beach. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2023 My favorite choice here was the Straight Up burger which started with a toasted bun, a smash burger-style patty with cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles and a good douse of Fieri’s signature Donkey Sauce, which is essentially garlic aioli. Megan Dubois, Chron, 31 Dec. 2022 In between soccer drills and physical and mental health sessions, campers cool off with a douse of water. Khalin Kapoor, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Your brother-in-law can spice up his favorite dishes with a simple douse from this hot sauce assortment. Karla Pope, Woman's Day, 4 May 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'douse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of douse was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near douse

Cite this Entry

“Douse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/douse. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on douse

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