as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
those soccer hooligans need a sound douse or two from a police officer's club
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to remove
to rid oneself of (a garment)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also dowse
1
as in to extinguish
to cause to cease burning
douse the campfire before leaving in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to drown
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 douse
David K. Li, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2025
Live 00:00 02:32 02:32 House disappears behind smoke as Palisades Fire grows, threatening residents
02:32
Firefighters are working to douse houses in water as the Palisades Fire continues to grow.
—Raquel Coronell Uribe, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
By the time Kayla came back into the living room, Rome had taken the liberty of dousing the entire couch with the sauce.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for douse
Noun
Those twin blazes posted once-in-lifetime challenges for firefighters who often had no water due to the extreme demand to douse so many flames at one time.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2025
Live 00:00 02:32 02:32 House disappears behind smoke as Palisades Fire grows, threatening residents
02:32
Firefighters are working to douse houses in water as the Palisades Fire continues to grow.
—Raquel Coronell Uribe, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
On Saturday, India was doused by teammates Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez near the dugout.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
By the time Kayla came back into the living room, Rome had taken the liberty of dousing the entire couch with the sauce.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for douse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for douse
Noun
-
The endorsement is also a blow to former Ohio State University football coach and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, who was considering entering the gubernatorial race, as well as Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running to succeed DeWine.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
9 May 2025
-
President Donald Trump has failed to make Ed Martin the permanent U.S. prosecutor for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., in what is a blow to his administration's goals.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
The Megapacks, according to PG&E, stand on 33 concrete slaps at the Elkhorn facility.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
-
In a repressive society where kissing means death and currency is measured in slaps, an unhappy woman’s growing bond with a salesgirl sparks desire, jealousy, and dangerous consequences.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The biggest knocks on Sawyer were his subpar measurables (31 3/4-inch arms) and the lack of bend or nuance in his pass-rush plan.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
-
Officers responded to the apartment but left when their knocks went unanswered, the newspaper reported.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
He gets paid for hits and this creates hits for him.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Jacob Wilson’s hitting stats Wilson is off to an incredible start, ranking second in the majors in hits (58) behind Aaron Judge.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
The Trump-Bush family relationship has at times been rocky, featuring public swipes at one another and a concerted distancing from Trump and MAGA by the Bushes.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
-
John Lydon took an unexpected swipe at The Rolling Stones during an appearance on a British morning show Wednesday (May 7).—
Glenn Rowley,
Billboard,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
My heart thumps, in sync with the pitter-patter of feet on the ground.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Outlook Single Double Triple Homer Texas moved quickly to bring in Pederson after trading Nathaniel Lowe, sacrificing a lot of fielding value but maintaining similar left-handed thump for the lineup.—
Tim Britton,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Burgess can be seen sporting red hair, leaning over to pretend to take a lick of an ice cream cone.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
7 May 2025
-
Stuff like the marching band doesn’t make a lick of sense.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Stolarz remembered the run Greig took at him in Game 1 and gave him multiple whacks with his stick before hammering Greig with his shoulder.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Then, Lamm said, Debbie Martin would administer three to five whacks using a thick leather paddle.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Douse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/douse. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share