DOUSE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does douse mean? 

• DOUSE (verb)
  The verb DOUSE has 7 senses:

1. put out, as of a candle or a light

2. wet thoroughly

3. dip into a liquid

4. immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate

5. lower quickly

6. slacken

7. cover with liquid; pour liquid onto

  Familiarity information: DOUSE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DOUSE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they douse    ... he / she / it douses   
Past simple: doused   
Past participle: doused   
-ing form: dousing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put out, as of a candle or a light

Classified under:

Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering

Synonyms:

douse; put out

Context example:

Douse the lights

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

blow out; extinguish; quench; snuff out (put out, as of fires, flames, or lights)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Wet thoroughly

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

douse; dowse

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

wet (cause to become wet)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Water and alcohol douse the cloth

Sense 3

Meaning:

Dip into a liquid

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

dip; douse; duck

Context example:

He dipped into the pool

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

dip; douse; dunk; plunge; souse (immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

dip; douse; dunk; plunge; souse

Context example:

dip the brush into the paint

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

immerse; plunge (thrust or throw into)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "douse"):

sop (dip into liquid)

dip; douse; duck (dip into a liquid)

dabble (dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

dousing (the act of wetting something by submerging it)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Lower quickly

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

douse a sail

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

furl; roll up (form into a cylinder by rolling)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Slacken

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

douse; dowse

Context example:

douse a rope

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

remit; slacken (make slack as by lessening tension or firmness)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Cover with liquid; pour liquid onto

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

douse; dowse; drench; soak; sop; souse

Context example:

souse water on his hot face

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

wet (cause to become wet)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "douse"):

brine (soak in brine)

bedraggle; draggle (make wet and dirty, as from rain)

bate (soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments)

ret (place (flax, hemp, or jute) in liquid so as to promote loosening of the fibers from the woody tissue)

flush; sluice (irrigate with water from a sluice)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They douse the cloth with water and alcohol

 Context examples 

The jibs I speedily doused and brought tumbling to the deck, but the main-sail was a harder matter.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

“And tell Johnson to douse him with a few buckets of salt water,” he added, in a lower tone for my ear alone.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Now it happened that Leach was one of the sailors told off to douse Mugridge after his game of cards with the captain.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Look sharp or you’ll get doused, was Mr. Mugridge’s parting injunction, as I left the galley with a big tea-pot in one hand, and in the hollow of the other arm several loaves of fresh-baked bread.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)