as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also dowsing
1
as in extinguishing
to cause to cease burning
douse the campfire before leaving in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wetting
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dipping
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid
douse the grapes in water to remove any grit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 dousing
Ryan Brennan
april 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
His mother was dousing the lot in ammonia, Michael said, but only to keep wildlife away from the parcel.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
The film was shot on location in Italy, dousing the viewer in a delicious moving pageantry of pasta and focaccia sandwiches.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Police accused Arianna Skye Foster, his 21-year-old girlfriend of spitting at a driver, dousing another with pepper spray and throwing rocks and pieces of brick at vehicles, according to documents.
—Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026
At Prabal Gurung’s fall-winter 2026 show, artists painted models’ lips a fiery red before dousing them in chunky glitter.
—Jessica Fields, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
What's happening is the jet stream — which moves weather systems from west to east — is pretty much stuck as far westward as the storms dousing Hawaii, where people are seeing torrential rains and flooding, Masters and Gallina said.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Once the final buzzer sounded, Adebayo’s Heat teammates celebrated his achievement by dousing him with their water bottles.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
He’s even been seen dousing himself in water alongside players during water breaks.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
The clip sparked debate online, though additional footage suggested Jordan may have been brushing ice or liquid off the child following a celebratory dousing.
—Ryan Brennan
april 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
His mother was dousing the lot in ammonia, Michael said, but only to keep wildlife away from the parcel.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
The film was shot on location in Italy, dousing the viewer in a delicious moving pageantry of pasta and focaccia sandwiches.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Police accused Arianna Skye Foster, his 21-year-old girlfriend of spitting at a driver, dousing another with pepper spray and throwing rocks and pieces of brick at vehicles, according to documents.
—Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026
At Prabal Gurung’s fall-winter 2026 show, artists painted models’ lips a fiery red before dousing them in chunky glitter.
—Jessica Fields, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
What's happening is the jet stream — which moves weather systems from west to east — is pretty much stuck as far westward as the storms dousing Hawaii, where people are seeing torrential rains and flooding, Masters and Gallina said.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Once the final buzzer sounded, Adebayo’s Heat teammates celebrated his achievement by dousing him with their water bottles.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
He’s even been seen dousing himself in water alongside players during water breaks.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dousing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
