Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To make damp.
- intransitive verb To deaden, restrain, or depress.
- intransitive verb To soundproof.
- intransitive verb To become damp.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To make damp or humid; apply moisture to; wet slightly; damp: as, the grass was dampened by a slight shower; to dampen clothes for ironing.
- To put a check or damper upon; make weak or dull; dim; deaden. See
damp . - To become damp.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet.
- transitive verb To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen.
- intransitive verb To become damp; to deaden.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet.
- verb transitive To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen.
- verb intransitive To become damp; to deaden.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb lessen in force or effect
- verb deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
- verb make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible
- verb check; keep in check (a fire)
- verb reduce the amplitude (of oscillations or waves)
- verb smother or suppress
- verb make moist
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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BOSTON (Ticker) -- Kyle Davies was not about to let a little rain dampen his major league debut.
USATODAY.com 2005
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Different parts of the human body – for instance, bones and soft tissues like the brain – dampen X-rays differently.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1979 - Perspectives 1979
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Now that also suggests that Raimi is sticking with the franchise in a production capacity, and that would kind of dampen any idea that they were seriously arguing and at deadlock over the future so that Sony and Columbia just cut all ties with him, wouldn't it?
Filmstalker: Update: Spider-Man prequel rumoured directors? 2010
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This headline in the UKTimes cracked me up - not "dampen" but:
"The incumbent president has approval ratings somewhere between Robert Mugabe and the ebola virus." Ann Althouse 2008
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She hasn't really done anything to kind of dampen down this.
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She hasn't really done anything to kind of dampen down this.
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They'll make their way in and just kind of dampen things every single morning until next weekend.
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Amato Evan and company suggest that dust storms moving west from the Sahara may help "dampen" hurricanes.
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Amato Evan and company suggest that dust storms moving west from the Sahara may help "dampen" hurricanes.
Archive 2006-10-01 2006
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So, Democrats are in a race to kind of dampen down those expectations because if they don't do it, it will look like a loss.
oroboros commented on the word dampen
Contronymic in the sense: add (water) vs. remove (activity).
January 27, 2007