dowse

1 of 2

verb (1)

less common spelling of douse

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

dowse

2 of 2

verb (2)

dowsed; dowsing

intransitive verb

: to use a divining rod

transitive verb

: to find (something, such as water) by dowsing

Examples of dowse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
All of you are gonna get down and dowse the ground for potable drinking water. Al Mullen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 When a fire broke out, firemen would often dig down, drill a hole in the wood pipe, then bail or pump water out of the pit to dowse the fire. Spike Carlsen, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2020 Water your potted mums from below the flowers and foliage rather than dowsing the whole thing with a blasting overhead shower. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 20 Oct. 2017 There were drug addicts and alcoholics and women who dowsed their cleaning rags with disinfectant and huffed those poisonous and intoxicating fumes into their lungs. Sherman Alexie, The New Yorker, 5 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dowse.' 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 (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb (2)

1691, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of dowse was in 1691

Dictionary Entries Near dowse

Cite this Entry

“Dowse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dowse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dowse

1 of 2

variant of douse

dowse

2 of 2 verb
: to use a divining rod especially to find water
dowser
ˈdau̇-zər
noun
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