damp

[ damp ]

adjective

, damp·er, damp·est.

1. slightly wet; moist:

   damp weather;

   a damp towel.

   Synonyms: steamy, dank

   Antonyms: dry

2. unenthusiastic; halfhearted; tepid:

   The welcoming committee gave them a rather damp reception.

3. dejected; depressed:

   I went shopping to lift my damp spirits.

noun

1. moisture; humidity; moist air:

   damp that goes through your warmest clothes.

   Synonyms: vapor, fog

2. a noxious or stifling vapor or gas, especially in a mine.
3. depression of spirits; dejection.
4. a restraining or discouraging force or factor.

verb (used with object)

1. to make damp; moisten.

   Synonyms: humidify

2. to check or retard the energy, action, etc., of; deaden; dampen:

   A series of failures damped her enthusiasm.

   Synonyms: moderate, restrain, inhibit, slow, abate

3. to stifle or suffocate; extinguish:

   to damp a furnace.

4. Acoustics, Music. to check or retard the action of (a vibrating string); dull; deaden.
5. Physics. to cause a decrease in amplitude of (successive oscillations or waves).

verb phrase

1. Plant Pathology. to undergo damping-off.

damp

/ dæmp /

adjective

1. slightly wet, as from dew, steam, etc
2. archaic.
   dejected

noun

1. slight wetness; moisture; humidity
2. rank air or poisonous gas, esp in a mine See also firedamp
3. a discouragement; damper
4. archaic.
   dejection

verb

1. to make slightly wet
2. often foll by down to stifle or deaden

   to damp one's ardour

3. often foll by down to reduce the flow of air to (a fire) to make it burn more slowly or to extinguish it
4. physics to reduce the amplitude of (an oscillation or wave)
5. music to muffle (the sound of an instrument)

Derived Forms

• ˈdampness, noun
• ˈdamply, adverb
• ˈdampish, adjective

Other Words From

• dampish adjective
• dampish·ly adverb
• dampish·ness noun
• damply adverb
• dampness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of damp¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (in sense of damp def 5 ); compare Middle Dutch damp, Middle High German dampf “vapor, smoke”

Word History and Origins

Origin of damp¹

C14: from Middle Low German damp steam; related to Old High German demphen to cause to steam

Synonym Study

Damp, humid, moist mean slightly wet. Damp usually implies slight and extraneous wetness, generally undesirable or unpleasant unless the result of intention: a damp cellar; to put a damp cloth on a patient's forehead. Humid is applied to unpleasant dampness in the air: The air is oppressively humid today. Moist denotes something that is slightly wet, naturally or properly: moist ground; moist leather.

Example Sentences

Hotter, longer drought conditions mean that instead of smelling pleasantly damp, rotting leaves on the forest floor, we get the ominous smell of dry, dusty ones.

From Slate

During the visit, the migrants walked the court through military tents they have been living in, pointing out damp, tears in the canvas, droppings, and a rats’ nest above one of the beds.

From BBC

She grew up wrapping damp greens in linen tea towels to keep them crisp but was frustrated when her salad makings fell out of the towels.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was like an open building site, there was damp running through, there was no electricity, there was no water a lot of the time, there were no toilets, there were lumps falling out of the walls because of the damp."

From BBC

Legislation setting tough new requirements for landlords to investigate and fix hazards in social homes - such as damp and mould – within strict timeframes will also be brought forward, they added.

From BBC

Related Words

• cloudy
• dank
• drizzly
• misty
• moist
• muggy
• saturated
• soaked
• sodden
• soggy
• steamy
• sticky
• waterlogged