put a damper on

idiom

: to make (something) less strong, active, or exciting

His bad mood put a damper on the celebration.

He was putting a bit of a damper on her spirits.

Examples of put a damper on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And high interest rates put a damper on California’s construction businesses. —Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024

But people who made plans to visit the narrow path of totality for the best show are confronting some fickle cloud forecasts that may put a damper on their plans. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

In 2022, rising inflation prompted employees to lose leverage in the job market and put a damper on resignations. —Jason Leverant, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

While more than 100,000 people made the trip to South Florida for the electronic music festival in downtown Miami, flooding and heavy rainfall put a damper on the keystone event. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024

Some biologists speculate that this could lead to earlier and larger blue-green algae blooms, which can be toxic to humans and put a damper on summer tourism. —Todd Richmond, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024

By game's end, though, the Filipowski incident had put a damper on the afterglow of what had been a rousing performance. —CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024

Between blisters, sprains, and achy feet, ill-fitting and uncomfortable shoes can put a damper on anyone’s trip. —Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2024

Unfortunately, The Beaver arrived in theaters right around the time Gibson was dealing with accusations of domestic violence, which understandably put a damper on its box office success. —Will Harris, EW.com, 13 Nov. 2023