douse

1 of 4

verb (1)

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)

: 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

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
By Jing Box $120 Fly By Jing The ultimate gift set for your foodie friend who douses everything in chili crisp. Megan Wahn, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2024 So there's parts of your body that are literally doused in ice water. Jill Heinerth, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
New parking garages are now required to have automatic sprinkler systems, but EV fires require at least twice as much water to douse, which means water supplies could be an issue. Joann Muller, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024 Meanwhile, botanical ingredients such as baobab seed extract and Kakadu plum douse the hair with moisture. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 28 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for douse 

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 4 Nov. 2024.

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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