as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also dowsing
1
as in extinguishing
to cause to cease burning
douse the campfire before leaving in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drowning
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dipping
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid
douse the grapes in water to remove any grit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dousing
Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
For his second act, Yachty gave the 1982 basketball sneaker a Bape-like patent leather makeover, dousing the shoe in red, green and yellow color combination.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
But those officials told Twelve Tribes members to bury the burn debris when they were finished and left the property without issuing citations or dousing the blaze with water, the investigation found.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
French media have shown excerpts of hours-long videos during which Pormanove is seen suffering blows, insults, strangulation, dousing with paint and oil and being shot at with a paintball gun.
—Reuters, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2025
Firefighters from Evergreen, Smith Valley and Whitefish assisted Kalispell crews in dousing flames that spread to adjacent grass.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
That included dousing Beam with water laced with pepper spray.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
While Bills Mafia holds dear traditions like smashing into tables and dousing a superfan in condiments before games, the group also developed a philanthropic bent.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
For his second act, Yachty gave the 1982 basketball sneaker a Bape-like patent leather makeover, dousing the shoe in red, green and yellow color combination.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
But those officials told Twelve Tribes members to bury the burn debris when they were finished and left the property without issuing citations or dousing the blaze with water, the investigation found.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
French media have shown excerpts of hours-long videos during which Pormanove is seen suffering blows, insults, strangulation, dousing with paint and oil and being shot at with a paintball gun.
—Reuters, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2025
Firefighters from Evergreen, Smith Valley and Whitefish assisted Kalispell crews in dousing flames that spread to adjacent grass.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
That included dousing Beam with water laced with pepper spray.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dousing. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share