1
as in to moisten
to make or become slightly or moderately wet
dampen a paper towel with water and use it to clean up the mess
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
the oppressive heat dampened our spirits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
nothing could dampen their enthusiasm
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dampen
Are you supposed to dampen parchment paper?
—
Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
Loop’s Experience line is specially made for concerts by dampening the decibels without sacrificing the performer’s sound quality.
—Jessica Comstock, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2025
Rain couldn’t dampen spirits in Milan as guests crowded the entryway—always the sign of a good party.
—Sofia Viganò, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2025
That lack of housing, according to Carroll, has the effect of holding back household formation and dampening economic activity.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dampen
Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
Loop’s Experience line is specially made for concerts by dampening the decibels without sacrificing the performer’s sound quality.
—Jessica Comstock, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2025
Rain couldn’t dampen spirits in Milan as guests crowded the entryway—always the sign of a good party.
—Sofia Viganò, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2025
That lack of housing, according to Carroll, has the effect of holding back household formation and dampening economic activity.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dampen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dampen
Verb
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Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are softened and broken down, adding water as needed to keep moistened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.—
Sheri Castle,
Southern Living,
22 Sep. 2025
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This blaze is intense enough that firefighters used water lines to moisten the soil around trees and wrapped their trunks with fire-resistant foil blankets.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To reduce the risk of mosquito bites and West Nile virus, health officials recommend using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and long pants when outdoors, especially during peak mosquito activity at dawn and dusk.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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Autos Are an Economic Anchor China’s bold move into electric vehicles began in 2009 as a top-down policy to compete with foreign automakers, cut air pollution and reduce oil imports.—
Rebecca A. Fannin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The journalists' arrests sparked outrage among free press advocates, who say the prosecutions undermine First Amendment freedoms and have called for prosecutors to drop the misdemeanor charges.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
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But solar advocates pushed back, warning that the changes would lengthen payback periods, discourage solar investment and undermine clean energy goals adopted by cities like Boise.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The first system is forecast to arrive early Monday, followed by a second on Wednesday, keeping the capital region damp and breezy through Thursday.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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Use a brush or damp sponge to scrub the area, and then rinse it with water and dry with a clean cloth.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Zeldin’s cuts have diminished the EPA’s staffing levels, even before Congress has had a chance to weigh in, affecting the environment, public health and government transparency.—
Chris Sellers,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
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Though the region’s trade reliance on Washington has rapidly diminished as China has become its biggest market, several nations still rely on the US for a large share of their exports, the loss of which would put millions of livelihoods at risk.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For investors, even opposition threats of repeal weaken confidence by raising doubts about long-term policy stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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While his core supporters remain loyal, sustained disapproval among the broader public could weaken his leverage in negotiations with Congress and erode confidence in his leadership.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the comedy is absolutely something that wets my beak, I'm drawn to it.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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What sold me on the Shapton set was the process of wetting the whetstones.—
Jesse Raub,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Thin sound deadening The Enabling Technology prize went to CompositeEdge GmbH and ATA Mute BV for a new kind of sound deadening.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
16 Sep. 2025
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Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dampen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dampen. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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