damping

verb

present participle of damp
1
as in undermining
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality refused to let the setbacks damp his drive for success

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wetting
to make or become slightly or moderately wet damp the shirt slightly before ironing it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling nothing seemed to damp the unwelcome attentions of her suitor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of damping Suspension is taken care of by 43-mm upside-down forks with adjustable rebound and compression damping, and an adjustable central spring strut at the rear. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026 The preset low-speed compression and rebound damping settings can be fine-tuned further with twelve clicks of compression adjustment and sixteen clicks of rebound adjustment. — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 23 Sep. 2026 Bimota retunes the Balance Free Fork with a low spring rate, firmer compression damping, and softer rebound, while the rear damper can adjust up to 30 millimeters with an eccentric bolt. — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026 Steering response is quick, precise and abetted by standard rear-axle steering and adaptive damping that cushions bumps and keeps the car level and stable in quick maneuvers. — Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Armed with this insight, Cohen then needed to find a way to create just the right version of this flexible object to produce a proper damping function. — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026 This may predispose plants to problems like root rot and damping off disease. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2026 There’s a chance, experts noted, that this year’s El Niño could bring more fall rain, damping the Santa Ana winds’s ability to fuel fast-moving fires. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 The resulting cavities are filled with dedicated acoustic damping material to control unwanted internal reflections. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damping
  1. undermining
  2. wetting
  3. reducing
  4. weakening
  5. dampening
  6. deadening
  7. draining
  8. moistening
Verb
  • At the time of the last catastrophe, a convulsive shift in media consumption began undermining the value of the legacy distribution scheme, which in turn led to grave uncertainties related to revenue sharing.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • More fundamentally, Vietnam showed that misadventures abroad could boomerang, weakening American democracy and societal cohesion and, ultimately, undermining the country’s international standing.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Havenith said deliberately wetting clothing can provide evaporative cooling, including for older adults who may not sweat as effectively.
    — Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • The new councilmember will face pressure to increase revenue and cut costs without reducing access to city services or compromising their quality.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The legislation would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission greater authority over cryptocurrency trading while reducing the Securities and Exchange Commission's role in overseeing certain digital assets.
    — Mike Winters, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • The victory came after a Republican redistricting effort aimed at weakening Latino voting power backfired.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • And the indicators tell you whether those conditions are strengthening or weakening.
    — Allison Mais, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The Iran war sparked a rise of inflation earlier this year, squeezing household budgets and dampening consumer sentiment.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Results also favored Democrats in statewide races for governor and attorney general and the party scored key victories in a slew of state legislature contests, significantly dampening Republicans’ grip on Topeka politics.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of dampening
Verb
  • Inside the cabin, extensive additional sound deadening in the doors, trunk and wheel arches means phone calls and passenger conversations are entirely effortless at highway speeds.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of deadening
Verb
  • Wembanyama scored 10 of San Antonio's first 12 points, powering down two dunks and draining all six free-throw attempts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • These volatile compound intermediates shuttle and dissolve from the cathode, draining battery life.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • The next several days will see a cooling and moistening trend in both the Bay Area and Central Coast; temperatures are expected to be well below seasonal averages.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • For this, Langelo recommends moistening the soil to make the weeds easier to pull.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026
Definition of moistening

Browse Nearby Words

dampers
damping
dampish
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Cite this Entry

“Damping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damping. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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