wet

UK: /ˈwɛt/ US: /wɛt/ ,(wet)

Inflections of 'wet' (adj):

wetter

adj comparative

wettest

adj superlative

Inflections of 'wet' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

wets

v 3rd person singular

wetting

v pres p

wet

v past

wetted

v past

wet

v past p

wetted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

wet /wɛt/   adj., wet•ter, wet•test, v., wet or wet•ted, wet•ting. 
adj. 

1. moistened, covered, or soaked with liquid:
   Wipe this with a wet cloth.
2. in a liquid state:
   wet paint.
3. rainy or misty:
   a cold, wet day.
4. allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages:
   a wet state.

v. 

5. to (cause to) become wet or moistened: [~ + object]
   Wet the cloth with warm water.
   [no object]
   My jacket has wet through.
6. to urinate on or in:
   [~ + object] The dog had wet the carpet.

Idioms

7. Idioms, Informal Terms all wet, completely mistaken.
8. Idioms wet behind the ears, not mature;
   inexperienced.

wet•ly, adv. 
wet•ness, n. [uncountable]
wet•ter, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

wet  (wet), adj., wet•ter, wet•test, n., v., wet or wet•ted, wet•ting. 
adj. 

1. moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid:
   wet hands.
2. in a liquid form or state:
   wet paint.
3. characterized by the presence or use of water or other liquid.
4. moistened or dampened with rain;
   rainy:
   Wet streets make driving hazardous.
5. allowing or favoring the sale of alcoholic beverages:
   a wet town.
6. Meteorology characterized by frequent rain, mist, etc.:
   the wet season.
7. laden with a comparatively high percent of moisture or vapor, esp. water vapor:
   There was a wet breeze from the west.
8. Informal Terms
   • intoxicated.
   • marked by drinking:
     a wet night.
9. using water or done under or in water, as certain chemical, mining, and manufacturing processes.
10. Informal Terms all wet, completely mistaken;
    in error:
    He insisted that our assumptions were all wet.
11. wet behind the ears, immature;
    naive;
    green:
    She was too wet behind the ears to bear such responsibilities.

n. 

12. something that is or makes wet, as water or other liquid;
    moisture:
    The wet from the earth had made the basement unlivable.
13. damp weather;
    rain:
    Stay out of the wet as much as possible.
14. a person in favor of allowing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
15. Informal Terms (disparaging and offensive). a wetback.

v.t. 

16. to make (something) wet, as by moistening or soaking (sometimes fol. by through or down):
    Wet your hands before soaping them.
17. to urinate on or in:
    The dog had wet the carpet.

v.i. 

18. to become wet (sometimes fol. by through or down):
    Dampness may cause plastered walls to wet. My jacket has wet through.
19. (of animals and children) to urinate.
20. wet out, to treat (fabric) with a wetting agent to increase its absorbency.
21. wet one's whistle. See whistle (def. 16).

• bef. 900; Middle English wett, past participle of weten, Old English wǣtan to wet; replacing Middle English weet, Old English wǣt, cognate with Old Frisian wēt, Old Norse vātr; akin to water

wet′ly, adv. 
wet′ness, n. 
wet′ter, n. 
wet′tish, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. dampened, drenched.
• 4. misty, drizzling.
• 7. humid.
• 12. wetness, humidity, dampness, dankness.
• 13. drizzle.
• 16. Wet, drench, saturate, soak imply moistening something. To wet is to moisten in any manner with water or other liquid:
  to wet or dampen a cloth.
  Drench suggests wetting completely as by a downpour:
  A heavy rain drenched the fields.
  Saturate implies wetting to the limit of absorption:
  to saturate a sponge.
  To soak is to keep in a liquid for a time:
  to soak beans before baking.

Antonyms

• 1. dry.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

wet / wɛt/ adjective (wetter, wettest)

1. moistened, covered, saturated, etc, with water or some other liquid
2. not yet dry or solid: wet varnish
3. rainy, foggy, misty, or humid: wet weather
4. employing a liquid, usually water: a wet method of chemical analysis
5. characterized by or permitting the free sale of alcoholic beverages: a wet state
6. feeble or foolish
7. wet behind the ears ⇒ immature or inexperienced; naive

noun

1. wetness or moisture
2. damp or rainy weather
3. a Conservative politician who is considered not to be a hard-liner
   Compare dry21
4. a feeble or foolish person
5. a person who advocates free sale of alcoholic beverages
6. the wet ⇒ (in northern and central Australia) the rainy season

verb (wets, wetting, wet, wetted)

1. to make or become wet
2. to urinate on (something)
3. (transitive) to prepare (tea) by boiling or infusing

Etymology: Old English wǣt; related to Old Frisian wēt, Old Norse vātr, Old Slavonic vedro bucket

ˈwetly adverb

ˈwetness noun

ˈwettable adjective

ˈwetter noun

ˈwettish adjective