Douse (Verb)
Meaning 1
Put out, as of a candle or a light; "Douse the lights".
Classification
Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering.
Examples
- The fire alarm sounded and the system would automatically douse the flames with water.
- Douse the lights before you leave the theater to conserve energy.
- She reached over to douse the candles after they finished dessert.
- Before heading outside, the astronauts will douse the internal lights to acclimate their eyes to the darkness.
- As a safety precaution, the firefighters moved to douse the blaze before it spread to other buildings.
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Meaning 2
Dip into a liquid; "He dipped into the pool".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- Douse the cloth in the cleaning solution before applying it to the surface to be cleaned.
- She doused the flowers with water from the bucket to keep them fresh.
- To make the cake more flavorful, douse the fruit in the wine for at least an hour.
- He doused the brush in paint before starting the artwork.
- In order to clean it properly, you need to douse the item in soapy water and scrub it thoroughly.
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Meaning 3
Cover with liquid; pour liquid onto; "souse water on his hot face".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- Dip the sponge in water and use it to douse the large blaze.
- We will douse the tree roots with water to keep them healthy during the dry spell.
- To soothe the burn, gently douse the affected area with cool water.
- With a few swift motions she managed to douse the fiery grill with a nearby bucket of water.
- In a hasty attempt to quench his thirst he bent down to douse his parched lips with cold water from the stream.
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Meaning 4
Immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate; "dip the garment into the cleaning solution"; "dip the brush into the paint".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- Douse the brush into the paint to give it a vibrant color before applying it to the canvas.
- To apply eye shadow, douse the applicator into the powder and then tap off the excess.
- Before placing the steak on the grill, douse it into a marinade to add extra flavor.
- Douse the flower bouquet into the water quickly to rehydrate it before placing it in a vase.
- To clean jewelry, douse the cloth into the cleaning solution and then gently rub the surface.
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Meaning 5
Slacken; "douse a rope".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The sailor climbed to adjust the sails, moving slowly to douse the rope that had become tangled in the pulley system.
- As the winds died down, the team had to douse the towline carefully to prevent it from getting damaged.
- Before the boat came to a stop, he doused the rope attached to the anchor, giving himself some slack.
- In the process of landing the boat, the sailor had to douse the rope to avoid getting his hands tangled.
- By dousing the line a few yards from the winch, the sailors were able to keep some tension in it while making the necessary repairs.
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Meaning 6
Wet thoroughly.
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- The firefighters worked quickly to douse the flames with water from their hoses before they spread further.
- The storm that hit the island was so intense that it could douse even the largest of fires.
- The paramedics rushed to douse the victim's badly burned hands and legs with cool water.
- A heavy downpour was all it took to douse the entire campsite in a matter of minutes.
- To put out the fire completely, we had to douse the smoldering embers with several buckets of water.
Synonyms
Meaning 7
Lower quickly; "douse a sail".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The firefighting team prepared to douse the massive blaze engulfing the warehouse.
- In scorching heat, a sudden rainstorm doused the city's sky.
- The experienced sailor quickly doused the sails as a storm warning loomed ahead.
- To avoid a major accident, the technicians decided to douse the oil rig's flame immediately.
- As night fell, the campers gathered around the fire and then slowly doused the flickering flames.