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
  • Fighting escalated late last month, undermining the November 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Private equity firms also sometimes own both physician staffing firms and Independent Dispute Resolution entities, creating a conflict of interest and undermining the law's fairness.
    — Anna Schecter, CBS News, 7 Oct. 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
  • Recently, the sector has been affected by El Nino, which brings weak monsoons and dry weather, reducing yields and sucrose recovery.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Other options include reducing the level of your contributions, although there is a minimum of 5% of pay for employees and 3% for employers.
    — Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • While critics claim the court cases are politically motivated and aimed at weakening the opposition, the government insists the country’s judiciary is independent and free from political influence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Those tasks had often depended on personal relationships rather than formal job requirements, and the researchers found those ties were weakening.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • An improved suspension helped, as did the additional sound dampening made possible by its unified construction.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Polls show bipartisan concerns about AI developing too quickly, and high costs for everyday items like gas and groceries are dampening the economic outlook for many Americans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 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
  • Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer previously said investigating video gambling terminal thefts was draining village resources.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Under President Joe Biden, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered Tel*Link to pay $3 million for illegally freezing and draining funds from incarcerated people’s accounts.
    — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 8 Oct. 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 12 Oct. 2026.

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