damp
1 of 3noun
ˈdamp 
1
: a noxious gas compare black damp, firedamp
2
: moisture:
a
: humidity, dampness
b
archaic : fog, mist
3
a
: discouragement, check
b
archaic : depression, dejection
damp
2 of 3verb
damped; damping; damps
transitive verb
1
a
: to affect with or as if with a noxious gas : choke
b
: to diminish the activity or intensity of
damping down the causes of inflation
liquid damps out compass oscillations
c
: to check the vibration or oscillation of (something, such as a string or a voltage)
2
: dampen
intransitive verb
: to diminish progressively in vibration or oscillation
damp
3 of 3adjective
1
a
archaic : being confused, bewildered, or shocked : stupefied
b
: depressed, dull
2
: slightly or moderately wet : moist
a damp towel
also : humid
damp weather
dampish
ˈdam-pish
adjective damply adverb
dampness noun
Synonyms
Noun
- dampness
- humidity
- moistness
- moisture
Verb
- castrate
- dampen
- deaden
- dehydrate
- desiccate
- devitalize
- enervate
- geld
- lobotomize
- petrify
Adjective
- humid
- muggy
- sticky
- sultry
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun The boxes were left outside in the damp. the damp of the night Verb His hands were damped with sweat. refused to let the setbacks damp his drive for success Adjective Wipe up the mess with a damp cloth. Her forehead was damp with perspiration. My hair's still damp from the rain. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 27 July 2017 The internet is a virtual catacomb, where the skeletons of human decency line the damp, mildewed walls. Christine Flowers, Philly.com, 15 June 2017 This damp—a byproduct of industrial smog mixing with moisture from the nearby ponds—is omnipresent, and repeated mentions more than illustrate Louis’s disgust. Samuel Metz, New Republic, 8 June 2017 Fortune, 25 Aug. 2017 BROOKS RIVER — A brown bear sow emerged from the alder fringes of the Naknek Lake shoreline, ambled to the water's edge and dropped in a huge blond lump onto pumice pebbles and damp black volcanic sand. Clark Fair, Alaska Dispatch News, 29 July 2017 Apply the mixture to damp, clean hair and also massage it onto your scalp. Lori Keong, Marie Claire, 19 July 2017 Babies need to be constantly damp for some reason, like the whale at the end of Free Willy. Frank Kobola, Redbook, 10 Mar. 2017 A Milan judge on Saturday ordered Silvio Berlusconi to be tried on corruption charges, damping the former Italian premier’s hopes of running soon for office again after being sidelined by a tax-fraud conviction. Frances D&, Orange County Register, 29 Jan. 2017 These masterful shocks have somewhat redefined the state of the art in damping. Jim Resnick, Ars Technica, 18 July 2017 But thoughts of the team’s imminent departure did not seem to be souring the sweetness of the celebration, nor damping the blaring of horns or thinning the throngs downtown and along the edges of Lake Merritt on Thursday. Erin Baldassari, The Mercury News, 15 June 2017 Kristina Mcguirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Aug. 2022 And the end, currently a damp squid, badly needs John’s help. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2022 Luckily, this year’s rain shower halted just in time—the trains of gowns may have gotten a little damp, but at least the air was mist-free. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 5 June 2022 While the left edge of the road by where the puddle would've been looked a little damp, the pool of water was no more. Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2022 At the start of the pandemic, Chelcie Parry was hunkered down in a damp, two-bedroom, no-living-room apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with a roommate, facing pestilence at every turn: outside was the threat of coronavirus, inside was black mold. New York Times, 8 Apr. 2022 To ensure your worms are surviving, thriving and ready to feast: Keep the bedding moist so the worms, who breathe through their skin and need a damp environment to move around, don’t dry up and die. Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2022 Its muggy, damp environment is a haven for an astonishing array of birds, big cats and insects. Joe Minihane, CNN, 24 Mar. 2022 After a damp Monday, extended forecasts are all focusing on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week as temperatures are expected to spike into the high 60s and low 70s for most locations. oregonlive, 18 Mar. 2022 See More
Noun
Tomorrow (Friday): Morning is probably gray and a little damp, but the real rain doesn’t get going until later. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 27 July 2017 The internet is a virtual catacomb, where the skeletons of human decency line the damp, mildewed walls. Christine Flowers, Philly.com, 15 June 2017 This damp—a byproduct of industrial smog mixing with moisture from the nearby ponds—is omnipresent, and repeated mentions more than illustrate Louis’s disgust. Samuel Metz, New Republic, 8 June 2017 Verb
Yellen’s speech, which lacked clear rate cues, did little to calm the price swings and damped expectations of a rate hike this year. Fortune, 25 Aug. 2017 BROOKS RIVER — A brown bear sow emerged from the alder fringes of the Naknek Lake shoreline, ambled to the water's edge and dropped in a huge blond lump onto pumice pebbles and damp black volcanic sand. Clark Fair, Alaska Dispatch News, 29 July 2017 Apply the mixture to damp, clean hair and also massage it onto your scalp. Lori Keong, Marie Claire, 19 July 2017 Babies need to be constantly damp for some reason, like the whale at the end of Free Willy. Frank Kobola, Redbook, 10 Mar. 2017 A Milan judge on Saturday ordered Silvio Berlusconi to be tried on corruption charges, damping the former Italian premier’s hopes of running soon for office again after being sidelined by a tax-fraud conviction. Frances D&, Orange County Register, 29 Jan. 2017 These masterful shocks have somewhat redefined the state of the art in damping. Jim Resnick, Ars Technica, 18 July 2017 But thoughts of the team’s imminent departure did not seem to be souring the sweetness of the celebration, nor damping the blaring of horns or thinning the throngs downtown and along the edges of Lake Merritt on Thursday. Erin Baldassari, The Mercury News, 15 June 2017 Adjective
The product is protected—whether a shower curtain liner ($13, Walmart) in a damp environment or doorknobs in high-touch areas—against microbes that might otherwise damage the item and reduce its lifespan. Kristina Mcguirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Aug. 2022 And the end, currently a damp squid, badly needs John’s help. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2022 Luckily, this year’s rain shower halted just in time—the trains of gowns may have gotten a little damp, but at least the air was mist-free. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 5 June 2022 While the left edge of the road by where the puddle would've been looked a little damp, the pool of water was no more. Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2022 At the start of the pandemic, Chelcie Parry was hunkered down in a damp, two-bedroom, no-living-room apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with a roommate, facing pestilence at every turn: outside was the threat of coronavirus, inside was black mold. New York Times, 8 Apr. 2022 To ensure your worms are surviving, thriving and ready to feast: Keep the bedding moist so the worms, who breathe through their skin and need a damp environment to move around, don’t dry up and die. Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2022 Its muggy, damp environment is a haven for an astonishing array of birds, big cats and insects. Joe Minihane, CNN, 24 Mar. 2022 After a damp Monday, extended forecasts are all focusing on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week as temperatures are expected to spike into the high 60s and low 70s for most locations. oregonlive, 18 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, black damp, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, vapor; akin to Old High German damph vapor
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Adjective
1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing damp
Kids Definition
damp 1 of 3
noun
ˈdamp
1
: moisture
The cold and damp made me shiver.
2
: a harmful gas found especially in coal mines
damp
2 of 3verb
damped; damping
: dampen
damp
3 of 3adjective
damper; dampest
: slightly wet : moist
Medical Definition
damp
noun
ˈdamp
: a noxious or stifling gas or vapor
especially : one occurring in coal mines —usually used in plural see black damp, firedamp
damp 1 of 3
adjective
1
as in humid
containing or characterized by an uncomfortable amount of moisture the damp air made 85 degrees feel like 105 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- humid
- sticky
- moist
- muggy
- wet
- sultry
- tropical
- oppressive
- tropic
- subtropical
- heavy
- sweltering
- steamy
- soggy
- sodden
- clammy
- torrid
- dank
- stifling
- subhumid
- soaked
- saturated
- waterlogged
- subtropic
- semitropical
- suffocating
- summery
- dripping
- sopping
- soaking
- stuffy
- summerlike
- drenched
- smothering
- washed
- close
- watery
- bathed
- watered
- soppy
- doused
- semitropic
- awash
- soused
- dowsed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dry
- fresh
- cool
- bracing
- refreshing
- crisp
- dusty
- arid
- burnt
- droughty
- scorched
- dehydrated
- burned
- thirsty
- baked
- semiarid
- parched
- desert
- invigorating
- sunbaked
- waterless
- sere
- seared
- sear
2
as in moist
slightly or moderately wet marks can usually be removed with a damp cloth Synonyms & Similar Words
- moist
- humid
- dampish
- dank
- dripping
- soaked
- wettish
- soaking
- steeped
- clammy
- misty
- dewy
- muggy
- washed
- soggy
- sodden
- sticky
- saturated
- waterlogged
- sweltering
- sopping
- drenched
- tropical
- watered
- bathed
- torrid
- sultry
- saturate
- summery
- semimoist
- water-soaked
- doused
- soppy
- awash
- dowsed
- soused
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dry
- arid
- dusty
- waterless
- burnt
- droughty
- scorched
- sunbaked
- dehydrated
- burned
- parched
- baked
- desert
- sere
- sear
- seared
- bone-dry
- waterproof
- watertight
- hyperarid
- ultradry
- water-repellent
- water-resistant
damp
2 of 3noun
as in moisture
the amount of water suspended in the air in tiny droplets we bought a dehumidifier for the basement when the damp down there began causing mold to grow Synonyms & Similar Words
- moisture
- humidity
- dampness
- moistness
- wetness
- mugginess
- stuffiness
- clamminess
- dankness
- sogginess
- sultriness
- stickiness
- soddenness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dryness
- dehydration
- aridity
- dehumidification
damp
3 of 3verb
1
as in to drain
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality refused to let the setbacks damp his drive for success Synonyms & Similar Words
- drain
- undermine
- exhaust
- desiccate
- dampen
- wear
- weaken
- petrify
- deaden
- devitalize
- dehydrate
- enervate
- fatigue
- castrate
- burn out
- lobotomize
- sap
- discourage
- geld
- wear out
- enfeeble
- debilitate
- dispirit
- daunt
- dishearten
- tucker (out)
- demoralize
- do in
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stimulate
- enliven
- invigorate
- stir
- energize
- brace
- vitalize
- rouse
- vivify
- fire
- quicken
- arouse
- charge
- ferment
- lift
- electrify
- galvanize
- spark
- kindle
- inflame
- provoke
- excite
- fortify
- whip (up)
- foment
- cheer
- incite
- revive
- trigger
- boost
- refresh
- rejuvenate
- renew
- reactivate
- revitalize
- hearten
- inspire
- instigate
- buoy
- regenerate
- abet
- rekindle
- enflame
- recharge
- resurrect
- embolden
- reawaken
- resuscitate
- reanimate
- reenergize
- reawake
2
as in to wet
to make or become slightly or moderately wet damp the shirt slightly before ironing it Synonyms & Similar Words
- wet
- moisten
- bedew
- rinse
- dampen
- wash
- flush
- water
- soak
- humidify
- saturate
- steep
- lave
- drench
- bathe
- impregnate
- douse
- irrigate
- sluice
- dunk
- souse
- dip
- immerge
- dowse
- rehydrate
- refresh
- remoisten
- immerse
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dry
- scorch
- dehydrate
- sear
- dehumidify
- desiccate
- parch
3
as in to dull
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling nothing seemed to damp the unwelcome attentions of her suitor Synonyms & Similar Words
- dull
- reduce
- numb
- dampen
- blunt
- deaden
- benumb
- cauterize
- subside
- weaken
- diminish
- decrease
- subdue
- ease
- muffle
- mute
- alleviate
- moderate
- enfeeble
- lighten
- lower
- debilitate
- tone (down)
- wane
- lessen
- recede
- let up (on)
- dwindle
- abate
- taper (off)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- strengthen
- enhance
- intensify
- sharpen
- deepen
- amplify
- augment
- stimulate
- step up
- consolidate
- boost
- heighten
- magnify
- arouse
- whet
- beef (up)
- animate
- redouble
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of damp are dank, humid, moist, and wet. While all these words mean "covered or more or less soaked with liquid," damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.
clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place
In some situations, the words dank and damp are roughly equivalent. However, dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.
a prisoner in a cold, dank cell
While the synonyms humid and damp are close in meaning, humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.
a hot, humid climate
The meanings of moist and damp largely overlap; however, moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.
treat the injury with moist heat
The synonyms wet and damp are sometimes interchangeable, but 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