as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
those soccer hooligans need a sound douse or two from a police officer's club
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to remove
to rid oneself of (a garment)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also dowse
1
as in to extinguish
to cause to cease burning
douse the campfire before leaving in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to drown
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 douse
Raquel Coronell Uribe, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Add a douse of gravy, and a smear of cranberry sauce on the inside of the top piece of toast.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2024
Tom Mullen, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
On the southern end of the continent, Spain was previously dealing with widespread drought but has been repeatedly doused with rain recently -- in March, flooding was reported as long-empty reservoirs filled.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for douse
Noun
Live 00:00 02:32 02:32 House disappears behind smoke as Palisades Fire grows, threatening residents
02:32
Firefighters are working to douse houses in water as the Palisades Fire continues to grow.
—Raquel Coronell Uribe, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Add a douse of gravy, and a smear of cranberry sauce on the inside of the top piece of toast.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
Semi acrid mid palate and a finish with vanilla and raspberries—doused in acidity.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
On the southern end of the continent, Spain was previously dealing with widespread drought but has been repeatedly doused with rain recently -- in March, flooding was reported as long-empty reservoirs filled.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for douse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for douse
Noun
-
More price hikes provide a psychological blow that shakes consumer confidence.—
Rohit Arora,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The result is just tit-for-tat subversion and another blow to America’s supposedly nonpartisan system of justice.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Two minutes later, Pastrnak redirected a slap pass from Morgan Geekie into the net to tie it 2-all.—
Jimmy Golen,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Closing the door to these studios during the extreme hype of a console’s launch window would be a slap to the face.—
Jason Evangelho,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Our only knock was about shadow details looking a little muddy or washed.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
-
New student loan delinquencies have been shown to take massive bites out of credit scores, with deductions averaging 87 points for subprime borrowers and steep 171-point knocks for those with superprime, or excellent, credit standing.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Most recently, Chabert starred in the Netflix holiday movie Hot Frosty, which became an instant hit on the streaming service after premiering in November 2024.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
20 Apr. 2025
-
His lofting fly ball had enough to scrape off the wall in left, scoring the winning run for his first career walk-off hit in a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Hold: Strong Shades: 8 Pros: Vegan and cruelty free, easy to use, buildable Cons: Takes a couple swipes to get more pigment out of it Your brow gel questions, answered Is clear or tinted brow gel better?—
Danielle Sinay,
Glamour,
17 Apr. 2025
-
As President Donald Trump takes fast-changing swipes at U.S. trade relationships around the world, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is challenging the president’s authority and taking steps to curb economic blowback.—
Ali Martin,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Rami Sinno is crouched beside a filing cabinet, wrestling a beach-ball sized disc out of a box, when a dull thump echoes around his laboratory.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Then the silence was broken by the loud thump of Olive’s .38/40.—
Horace R. Hinkley,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Burgess can be seen sporting red hair, leaning over to pretend to take a lick of an ice cream cone.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
His fans got nuzzles, licks and tail wags in return.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But as of late, that theorem has gone all out of whack.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2025
-
What if Auriemma’s Dodgers and Yankees aren’t UConn and South Carolina but mid-majors or Power 4 also-rans that no one expects? ‘So out of whack’ As if the two extremes weren’t complicated enough, Monday’s hearing comes during a complex time in women’s basketball.—
Matt Baker,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Douse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/douse. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share