put a dampener on

idiom

British
: to make (something) less strong, active, or exciting
His bad mood put a dampener on the celebration.

Examples of put a dampener on in a Sentence

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Primark owner Associated British Foods dipped on Thursday as wet weather put a dampener on second-half retail sales. Royston Wild, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024 Coupling this breath work with mental exercises, such as meditation, visualization, and paying extra attention to our senses, can be an effective way to put a dampener on an overactive nervous system. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2024 But China’s meteorologists are worried that bad winter weather could put a dampener on holiday travels this year. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 29 Jan. 2024 But extreme weather has put a dampener on festivities and scouts are now leaving the main venue almost a week ahead of schedule. Gawon Bae, CNN, 7 Aug. 2023 The likes of India and China watering down the global commitment to reducing coal generation put a dampener on the conference’s outcomes. Jonquil Hackenberg, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021 Regulators in China put a dampener on investors' high hopes for Chinese companies' new AI chatbots, proposing new rules for the burgeoning sector on Tuesday. Weilun Soon, WSJ, 11 Apr. 2023 Ending cash bail could put a dampener on the ability of judges to make informed decisions about defendants. Justin Klawans, The Week, 30 Mar. 2023 Panels were packed, dinners were back and even a garbage collection strike and wet weather couldn’t put a dampener on proceedings as producers, commissioners, executives and talent reunited under one roof to take stock of the industry. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 26 Aug. 2022

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Cite this Entry

“Put a dampener on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%20a%20dampener%20on. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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