douse

American  

[dous] / daʊs /

Or dowse

verb (used with object)

doused, dousing

1. to plunge into water or the like; drench.

   She doused the clothes in soapy water.

2. to splash or throw water or other liquid on.

   The children doused each other with the hose.

3. to extinguish.

   She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.

4. Informal. to remove; doff.

5. Nautical.

   1. to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.

   2. to slacken (a line) suddenly.

   3. to stow quickly.

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verb (used without object)

doused, dousing

1. to plunge or be plunged into a liquid.

noun

1. British Dialect. a stroke or blow.

douse ¹ British  

/ daʊs /

verb

1. to plunge or be plunged into water or some other liquid; duck

2. (tr) to drench with water, esp in order to wash or clean

3. (tr) to put out (a light, candle, etc)

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noun

1. an immersion

douse ² British  

/ daʊs /

verb

1. nautical to lower (sail) quickly

2. archaic to strike or beat

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noun

1. archaic a blow

Other Word Forms

• douser noun

Etymology

Origin of douse

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain

Explanation

Use the verb douse to describe covering something with water or other liquid. When you're camping, you douse the campfire with water when you're done with it. Douse often involves water, but you could also douse your French fries in ketchup. Douse can describe the act of extinguishing a candle, or even turning off a light. You might douse your bedroom light when it's time to sleep or simply douse a candle by blowing it out. Douse is most commonly pronounced to rhyme with mouse.

Example Sentences

Julian wants to destroy the unfinished Christophers, but can’t bring himself to douse the canvases in kerosene and light the match.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

Regular fertilizers such as urea, by contrast, douse plants in nitrogen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

On the night the fire broke out, Caruso voiced his fury on live television about empty fire hydrants and the overall lack of water to douse the flames.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

Firefighters continued to douse the building with water to cool the structure and prevent embers from re-igniting.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

She squatted by the water to douse herself with the calabash and to wash out her dress-cloth.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• deluge
• drown
• put out
• quench
• saturate
• smother
• snuff out
• soak
• splash
• submerge
• wet