as in blows
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 removes
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 dowses
1
as in extinguishes
to cause to cease burning
douse the campfire before leaving in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drowns
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of douses
Jenny Berg, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2025
Outside, the rain douses the flames at the cooperage, but the situation still seems a bit explosive.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
The formula is enriched with Japanese red camellia oil, a lightweight, fast-absorbing ingredient that douses the hair in antioxidants.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2025
Outside, the rain douses the flames at the cooperage, but the situation still seems a bit explosive.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for douses
Noun
-
Her tenure was marked by downward-trending stock prices and a series of blows to the company’s image.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Unfortunately, Starmer’s Labour government seems bent on inflicting even harsher blows very soon.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In this world, items are paid for by receiving slaps to the face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At a whopping 108 minutes, Trump on Tuesday swung wildly between trying to reassure voters their gamble on his return to power was worth it and targeting the Democrats in the room with a series of sneers, taunts, and swipes.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
-
During two recent wintry swipes in North Georgia, drivers largely abided by the directive to keep off the roads.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The star then grabbed a bat and took several whacks at a colorful piñata shaped like a cascaron.—
René Guzman,
San Antonio Express-News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Deeper down the road the slap of the drooping tropical tree branches against the windshield are like punishing whacks to the face for trying to force a metaphor.—
Matt Negrin,
Rolling Stone,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In his teens and early 20s, a variety of knocks and muscle strains — plus a variety of coaches with fluctuating opinions of him — complicated his development.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The story draws from Filipino urban folklore, specifically a childhood ritual involving mirrors, candles and three knocks that serves as the narrative’s foundation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Eventually, Ginger's playful touches turn to rowdy smacks on Jesse's behind.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Some biologists argue that more frequent smacks are a sign of rising ocean temperatures.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Brown responds by shoving the officer's hand down, and after the second shove, the officer throws two punches.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
But amid the coronation for their crosstown rival, Gottlieb was looking for anything that told her this Trojans team could take some punches and also give some back in March.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Douses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/douses. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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