wet 1 of 3

adjective

ˈwet How to pronounce wet (audio)
Definition of wetnext
1
as in dripping
containing, covered with, or thoroughly penetrated by water I left the car windows open while it rained, and the seats got all wet

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2
as in rainy
marked by or abounding with rain a wet and dreary day

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3
as in drunk
being under the influence of alcohol designated a driver so the others could get wet and make it home safely at the end of the night

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4
as in sticky
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way things get more than a little wet during the opera's big death scene

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5
as in weak
British lacking strength of will or character employees of the company despised their boss as a wet and ineffectual bloke

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wet

2 of 3

noun

as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity winced as he walked out into the wet without any protection

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wet

3 of 3

verb

as in to wash
to make wet you need to wet your hair thoroughly first

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word wet distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wet are damp, dank, humid, and moist. While all these words mean "covered or more or less soaked with liquid," wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (such as paint) not yet dry.

slipped on the wet pavement

When is it sensible to use damp instead of wet?

The meanings of damp and wet largely overlap; however, damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.

clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place

When can dank be used instead of wet?

While the synonyms dank and wet are close in meaning, dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

Where would humid be a reasonable alternative to wet?

In some situations, the words humid and wet are roughly equivalent. However, humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

In what contexts can moist take the place of wet?

The words moist and wet are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

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 wet
Adjective
Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic’s steep terrain will force air upward, wringing out more moisture from the storm, just like squeezing a wet sponge, turning tropical humidity into torrents racing downhill. —Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025 Organizers are expecting about 10,000 people, rain or shine, with plans to bring much of it under tents and indoors if the weather turns wet. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
Still this wick-wet road, this wax. —Courtney Kampa, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2025 Not with crisp, clean bedding but with your sheet coming out of the dryer balled up in your duvet cover, still soaking wet. —Reuven Perlman, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
Increase the resistance on this exercise by wetting the towel first. —Aubrey Bailey, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025 Update irrigation The goal of irrigation is to wet plant roots. —Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wet
  1. dripping
  2. rainy
  3. drunk
  4. sticky
  5. weak
  6. rain
  7. wash
  8. saturated
Adjective
  • Following Harriett's death, the boy began experiencing strange happenings — hearing scratching in the wall, seeing water mysteriously dripping from pipes and walls, and most scary of all, feeling his bed moving.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • So no surprise the shells were his third pick, after dripping sauce on himself.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Definition of dripping
Adjective
  • On a gray and rainy Sunday morning in October, the Russell Farms in Noblesville was resplendent in color with a wide variety of gourds and pumpkins in just about every shade of orange, yellow, green, white, blue.
    — Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The Kom legend of the exploding lake during the rainy season comes to mind.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Definition of rainy
Adjective
  • When morality clauses first appeared in Hollywood in the 1920s, they were meant to protect studios from scandal—actors getting drunk, producers getting indicted, the usual mayhem.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Clara, grieving in her own way, sneaks out, gets drunk and high and sees her boyfriend without her mom’s permission.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of drunk
Adjective
  • The Cabana’s greasy floor was sticky under her bare feet.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The fruit flies are attracted to them and get stuck on the sticky glue.
    — Emma Ashe, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of sticky
Adjective
  • Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.
    — Bloomberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
  • There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of weak
Noun
  • The Rockies and Plains could see light snow, while Texas could see fair conditions, followed by rain, according to the forecast.
    — Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection said flooding of the Saint Martin River caused by heavy rains also destroyed a bridge in Saint Suzanne in the northeast region of Haiti.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Definition of rain
Verb
  • The tables were empty and the bar deserted, the only sign of life the clank and swish of dishes being washed in the back, through the swinging double doors.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Hands and surfaces should be washed after preparing raw meat.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of wash
Adjective
  • Liver Liver is an organ meat that contains more saturated fat than poultry or fish.
    — Merve Ceylan, Health, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Bold hues are the name of the game, whether this means going for the kind of saturated, chili pepper–adjacent red that flooded the runways of labels like Ferragamo or embracing autumn’s fascination with all things deep purple, courtesy of an earrings pair that pays homage to the humble eggplant.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2025
Definition of saturated

Phrases Containing wet

Browse Nearby Words

westerly
wet
wet behind the ears
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Cite this Entry

“Wet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wet. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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