damp

UK: /ˈdæmp/ US: /dæmp/ ,(damp)

Inflections of 'damp' (adj):

damper

adj comparative

dampest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

damp /dæmp/   adj., -er, -est, n., v. 
adj. 

1. slightly wet;
   moist:
   The towels were still damp.

n. [uncountable]

2. moisture;
   humidity;
   moist air:
   the damp of the morning.

v. 

3. [ ~ + obj] to make damp;
   moisten.
4. to reduce, check, or slow down the energy, action, etc., of:
   [~ (+ down ) + object] His loss didn't damp (down) his enjoyment of living.
5. [ ~ (+ down) + obj] to extinguish:
   to damp (down) a furnace.

damp•ly, adv. 
damp•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

damp  (damp), adj., -er, -est, n., v. 
adj. 

1. slightly wet;
   moist:
   damp weather; a damp towel.
2. unenthusiastic;
   dejected;
   depressed:
   The welcoming committee gave them a rather damp reception.

n. 

3. moisture;
   humidity;
   moist air:
   damp that goes through your warmest clothes.
4. a noxious or stifling vapor or gas, esp. in a mine.
5. depression of spirits;
   dejection.
6. a restraining or discouraging force or factor.

v.t. 

7. to make damp;
   moisten.
8. to check or retard the energy, action, etc., of;
   deaden;
   dampen:
   A series of failures damped her enthusiasm.
9. to stifle or suffocate;
   extinguish:
   to damp a furnace.
10. Music and Dance [Acoustics, Music.] to check or retard the action of (a vibrating string);
    dull;
    deaden.
11. Physics to cause a decrease in amplitude of (successive oscillations or waves).
12. damp off, to undergo damping-off.

• 1300–50; Middle English (in sense of def. 4); compare Middle Dutch damp, Middle High German dampf vapor, smoke

damp′ish, adj. 
damp′ish•ly, adv. 
damp′ish•ness, n. 
damp′ly, adv. 
damp′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. dank, steamy.
  Damp, humid, moist mean slightly wet.
  Damp usually implies slight and extraneous wetness, generally undesirable or unpleasant unless the result of intention:
  a damp cellar; to put a damp cloth on a patient's forehead.
  Humid is applied to unpleasant dampness in the air:
  The air is oppressively humid today.
  Moist denotes something that is slightly wet, naturally or properly:
  moist ground; moist leather.
• 3. dankness, dampness, fog, vapor.
• 7. humidify.
• 8. slow, inhibit, restrain, moderate, abate.

Antonyms

• 1. dry.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

damp / dæmp/ adjective

1. slightly wet, as from dew, steam, etc

noun

1. slight wetness; moisture; humidity
2. rank air or poisonous gas, esp in a mine
   See also firedamp
3. a discouragement; damper

verb (transitive)

1. to make slightly wet
2. (often followed by down) to stifle or deaden: to damp one's ardour
3. (often followed by down) to reduce the flow of air to (a fire) to make it burn more slowly or to extinguish it
4. to reduce the amplitude of (an oscillation or wave)
5. to muffle (the sound of an instrument)

Etymology: 14th Century: from Middle Low German damp steam; related to Old High German demphen to cause to steam

ˈdampness noun