as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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 wetting
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dousing
Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026
At Prabal Gurung’s fall-winter 2026 show, artists painted models’ lips a fiery red before dousing them in chunky glitter.
—Jessica Fields, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
What's happening is the jet stream — which moves weather systems from west to east — is pretty much stuck as far westward as the storms dousing Hawaii, where people are seeing torrential rains and flooding, Masters and Gallina said.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Once the final buzzer sounded, Adebayo’s Heat teammates celebrated his achievement by dousing him with their water bottles.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
He’s even been seen dousing himself in water alongside players during water breaks.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Establishment Republicans poured cash into this campaign like firefighters dousing a blaze.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Within moments, the toy’s gelatinous interior exploded, dousing scalding material across his face and hands.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 23 Feb. 2026
During the attack, Revuckas also stabbed the Morales' dog between the eyes, and started a fire in the kitchen by placing household items on the stove, dousing them with sanitizer and household cleaners, and setting everything on fire.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
Police accused Arianna Skye Foster, his 21-year-old girlfriend of spitting at a driver, dousing another with pepper spray and throwing rocks and pieces of brick at vehicles, according to documents.
—Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026
At Prabal Gurung’s fall-winter 2026 show, artists painted models’ lips a fiery red before dousing them in chunky glitter.
—Jessica Fields, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
What's happening is the jet stream — which moves weather systems from west to east — is pretty much stuck as far westward as the storms dousing Hawaii, where people are seeing torrential rains and flooding, Masters and Gallina said.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Once the final buzzer sounded, Adebayo’s Heat teammates celebrated his achievement by dousing him with their water bottles.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
He’s even been seen dousing himself in water alongside players during water breaks.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Establishment Republicans poured cash into this campaign like firefighters dousing a blaze.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Within moments, the toy’s gelatinous interior exploded, dousing scalding material across his face and hands.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 23 Feb. 2026
During the attack, Revuckas also stabbed the Morales' dog between the eyes, and started a fire in the kitchen by placing household items on the stove, dousing them with sanitizer and household cleaners, and setting everything on fire.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dousing. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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