damp

1.adjectiveB1

Definition

having a small amount of surface or airborne moisture that makes something feel cold or unpleasant.

Example

The basement walls felt damp after three days of steady rain.

collocation: damp + walls / basement

Nila wiped the damp kitchen counter with a dry cloth before setting down the groceries.

Common collocations

damp walls
damp cloth
damp towel
damp ground
damp air
damp weather
feel damp
still damp

Synonyms

moist
usually neutral or positive — used for food, skin, earth
humid
describes weather or air with a lot of water vapour, not a surface
clammy
unpleasantly damp and sticky, especially of skin

Antonyms

dry
having no water or moisture at all

Grammar Patterns

be + damp

damp + noun

Usage Note

Frequently describes something that is unpleasantly wet rather than just slightly wet. Unlike 'moist', which often has positive or neutral associations with food or skin, 'damp' carries a negative or uncomfortable tone when referring to buildings, weather, or fabric.

Common Mistakes

The cake is still damp in the middle.

The cake is still moist in the middle.

'damp' sounds unpleasant; use 'moist' for food that is pleasantly soft.

Idioms

a damp squib

idiom

An event that fails to be exciting or successful as people hoped.

The company's new product launch was a damp squib.

Did the festival turn out to be a damp squib?

1.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to reduce how strongly a fire or flame burns, typically by covering it or blocking its air supply.

Example

Benjamin damped the campfire with sand before heading to his tent.

verb pattern: damp + fire + with [material]

The gardener damped the bonfire to prevent sparks from reaching the dry grass.

Common collocations

damp the fire
damp the flames
damp with sand
damp with ash

Synonyms

dampen
more common in modern usage, especially in American English
smother
means to completely extinguish by cutting off air
stoke
the opposite — to add fuel or air to make the fire stronger

Antonyms

stoke
to add fuel to make the fire burn more strongly

Grammar Patterns

damp + fire/flames + with [material]

Usage Note

Often interchangeable with 'dampen' in this sense. The fire is not fully extinguished — just slowed down or reduced. More common in British English; American English prefers 'dampen'.

2.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to slow down or reduce the level of economic or business activity, especially demand, spending, or growth.

Example

Higher interest rates are expected to damp consumer spending over the next year.

collocation: damp consumer spending

The trade dispute damped the company's export growth in the second quarter.

collocation: damp growth

Common collocations

damp demand
damp spending
damp growth
damp activity
damp investment

Synonyms

curb
suggests intentional restraint, often by rules or limits
dampen
more common in everyday usage for the same meaning
reduce
more general colourless word; less metaphorical

Antonyms

boost
to increase or encourage activity or growth

Grammar Patterns

damp + [noun: demand/spending/growth]

Usage Note

Nearly always used in formal, business, or economic contexts. The object is typically an abstract noun referring to output, spending, or market activity. Rarely used with a personal subject — instead an impersonal force (taxes, interest rates, crises) is the subject.

Common Mistakes

The manager damped the team's work.

The manager slowed the team's work.

'damp' in this sense is not used for everyday work activity; it belongs to formal economic or large-scale contexts.

3.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to cause an emotion, level of enthusiasm, or a similarly strong feeling to become weaker.

Example

The bad news damped everyone's excitement about the holiday trip.

collocation: damp excitement

Harper's disappointment at losing the race was damped by her teammates' kind words.

passive: damped by + [thing]

Common collocations

damp enthusiasm
damp excitement
damp spirits
damp hopes
damp someone's mood

Synonyms

dampen
far more common than 'damp' in this sense, especially in speech
temper
suggests a moderating or balancing influence
diminish
more formal; means to make smaller or weaker

Antonyms

heighten
to make feelings or emotions stronger

Grammar Patterns

damp + [noun: enthusiasm/excitement/spirits]

4.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

to lessen how much an object shakes or echoes, making its sound quieter or less sharp.

Example

Thick rubber mats were installed under the piano to damp the vibration of the floor.

collocation: damp vibration

The soundproof panels in the recording studio damp unwanted echoes.

collocation: damp sound / echoes

Common collocations

damp sound
damp vibration
damp noise
damp echoes
damp oscillation

Synonyms

muffle
less technical; common in everyday English for the same idea
deaden
means to reduce the strength of a sound or feeling
absorb
used for materials that take in sound waves

Antonyms

amplify
to make a sound louder
magnify
to increase vibration or sound

Grammar Patterns

damp + [noun: sound/vibration/noise]

Usage Note

This sense is more technical than the other verb senses. In everyday conversation, people usually say 'muffle' or 'deaden' instead of 'damp'. 'Damp' in this sense is common in engineering, acoustics, and music contexts.

Common Mistakes

Please damp your phone.

Please muffle your phone.

'damp' is not used for ordinary silencing of devices; use 'muffle' or 'turn down'.

5.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to put a small amount of water or other liquid onto a surface, cloth, or material, making it slightly wet.

Example

Kemi damped a cloth with warm water before wiping the dusty shelves.

verb pattern: damp + cloth + with + [liquid]

The florist damped the moss around the potted orchids to keep them fresh.

Common collocations

damp a cloth
damp a sponge
damp the soil
damp with water

Synonyms

dampen
the standard and more common verb for making something slightly wet
moisten
suggests a gentler, more careful application of liquid
wet
can mean any degree of wetness; less precise than 'damp'

Antonyms

dry
to remove moisture or make something no longer wet

Grammar Patterns

damp + [noun] + with [liquid]

Usage Note

In modern English, 'dampen' is far more common than 'damp' for this sense, especially in American English. 'Damp' as a verb meaning 'make wet' is rare outside British English and sounds slightly old-fashioned to many speakers.

Common Mistakes

I damped my hair before styling it.

I dampened my hair before styling it.

'dampen' is the usual verb for making something wet, especially hair or fabric.

Word family

dampen
verbB2
dampness
nounB2
damply
adverbC1
damp-proof
adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe some degree of water presence, but they differ in tone and context. 'Damp' is the most negative for everyday objects — it suggests an uncomfortable, often cold wetness that you do not want (damp basement, damp towel). 'Moist' is neutral to positive and is the word to use for food (moist cake) or skincare (moist lips). 'Humid' applies only to weather or air, never to surfaces (humid summer day, not *humid floor). 'Wet' is the most general term and covers any degree of wetness from slightly wet to soaked (wet hair, wet road). 'Soggy' means unpleasantly soaked and soft, usually because something has absorbed too much liquid (soggy cereal, soggy ground after rain). For a learner: when complaining about a room, use 'damp'; when complimenting food, use 'moist'; when describing the weather, use 'humid'; for everything in between, 'wet' is the safest choice.

damp ↗moist ↗humid ↗wet ↗soggy

Common collocations

Nouns

damp weather
damp climate
damp air
damp ground

Adverbs

slightly damp
still damp
permanently damp
damp all year round

Phrases

damp course
rising damp
damp squib

Prepositions

damp with [sweat/water/rain]
damp from [the rain/the shower]

Etymology

Middle Low GermanOld High GermanGermanEnglish

The word 'damp' entered English from Middle Low German 'damp' meaning 'vapor, steam, smoke'. It is related to Old High German 'dampf', which also meant 'vapor' or 'smoke'. In its earliest English use (14th–16th centuries), 'damp' referred specifically to a harmful or suffocating gas found in mines — a meaning still preserved in the word 'firedamp' (explosive methane in coal mines). The adjective sense 'slightly wet' developed in the 17th century, coming from the idea of air or surfaces filled with visible moisture (like vapor settling on a surface). The verb sense 'to reduce or diminish' grew out of the fire-damping metaphor — smothering a flame by cutting off its air is like reducing the energy or enthusiasm of something.

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damp

damp — adjective

1. having a small amount of surface or airborne moisture that makes something feel

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

a damp squib

damp — noun

1. unwanted moisture that collects on walls, floors, or in the air inside a buildin

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

damp — verb

1. to reduce how strongly a fire or flame burns, typically by covering it or blocki

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

2. to slow down or reduce the level of economic or business activity, especially de

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. to cause an emotion, level of enthusiasm, or a similarly strong feeling to becom

Grammar Patterns

4. to lessen how much an object shakes or echoes, making its sound quieter or less

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

5. to put a small amount of water or other liquid onto a surface, cloth, or materia

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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