dowse
1 of 2verb (1)
less common spelling of douse
transitive verb
1
: to plunge into water
Blanch the green beans then douse them in a bath of ice water.
2
a
: to throw a liquid on : drench
The books were doused in gasoline and set ablaze.
doused herself in perfume
b
: slosh
3
[originally in argot use (douse the glim meaning "extinguish the light") and perhaps of distinct origin] : extinguish
douse the lights
douse the blaze
intransitive verb
: to fall or become plunged into water
dowse
2 of 2verb (2)
ˈdau̇z 
dowsed; dowsing
intransitive verb
: to use a divining rod
transitive verb
: to find (something, such as water) by dowsing
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 20 Oct. 2017 There were drug addicts and alcoholics and women who dowsed their cleaning rags with disinfectant and huffed those poisonous and intoxicating fumes into their lungs. Sherman Alexie, The New Yorker, 5 June 2017
Verb
Water your potted mums from below the flowers and foliage rather than dowsing the whole thing with a blasting overhead shower. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 20 Oct. 2017 There were drug addicts and alcoholics and women who dowsed their cleaning rags with disinfectant and huffed those poisonous and intoxicating fumes into their lungs. Sherman Alexie, The New Yorker, 5 June 2017 Word History
Etymology
Verb (2)
origin unknown
First Known Use
Verb (2)
1691, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense