Synonyms
Verb (1)
Noun (2)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Examples of douse in a Sentence
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
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
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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
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
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
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.
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douse
verb
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