variants
or less commonly dowse
doused also dowsed; dousing also dowsing
1
: to plunge into water
Blanch the green beans then douse them in a bath of ice water.
2
3
[originally in argot use (douse the glim meaning "extinguish the light") and perhaps of distinct origin]
: extinguish
douse the lights
douse the blaze
: to fall or become plunged into water
douser
noun
or less commonly dowser
doused; dousing
Synonyms
Verb (1)
Noun (2)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Examples of douse in a Sentence
Verb (1)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Noun (2)
those soccer hooligans need a sound douse or two from a police officer's club
Recent Examples on the Web
Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
And a few minutes after a victorious embrace, after dousing each other in champagne, Sander doubled down on his dismissiveness of the teams who’d skipped Huntington Beach.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for douse 
Verb
Advertisement Multiple 911 callers said that a man walked up to the entrance of the Retreat Church and Yucaipa Christian Pre-School with a gas can, doused the entrance with a liquid and then lighted it on fire, authorities said.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
And a few minutes after a victorious embrace, after dousing each other in champagne, Sander doubled down on his dismissiveness of the teams who’d skipped Huntington Beach.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for douse
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'douse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near douse
Cite this Entry
“Douse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/douse. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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