doused 1 of 3

adjective

variants also dowsed
as in dripping
containing, covered with, or thoroughly penetrated by water shook the water out of her thoroughly doused hair

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doused

2 of 3

verb (1)

past tense of douse
as in removed
to rid oneself of (a garment) in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors

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doused

3 of 3

verb (2)

variants also dowsed
past tense of douse
1
as in extinguished
to cause to cease burning douse the campfire before leaving in the morning

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drowned
to make wet the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dipped
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid douse the grapes in water to remove any grit

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of doused
Adjective
The hurricane center said Polo gained significant force overnight into Friday morning and doused parts of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. — Eugene Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
The department was unsure of the route the aircraft was trying to take, and the crash started a small grass fire that was quickly doused. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Then again, after getting doused with hot coffee earlier, the day had nowhere to go but up for the coach. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026 The woman was also hit by the SUV, along with being struck with a bat and doused in bear spray, officials say. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026 Wagyu beef and lamb koobideh are formed into bite-size, plump spheres doused in a sweet tomato and sumac glaze. — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 As his players doused each other with beer and puffed smoke throughout the room, Venable said neither cigars nor champagne are quite his style. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Converging tropical storm systems that doused parts of the Front Range and Eastern Plains with rain this week — while largely skipping over metro Denver — blanketed the summit of Pikes Peak with snow Thursday. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 Then, he was hugged by first-base coach José Javier before he was doused in champagne by bullpen catcher Erick Castro. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 But it's otherworldly doused with the grassy-green basbaas cagaar sauce that's served on the side. — Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doused
  1. dripping
  2. removed
  3. extinguished
  4. drowned
  5. dipped
  6. saturated
  7. wet
  8. immersed
Adjective
  • Even while dripping in haute couture, Edebiri somehow never appears stuffy or unapproachable — quite the opposite.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Bleeding Ombré The mix of red and black shades to get you that dripping blood effect in an ombré nail is striking on its own.
    — Michella Oré, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of dripping
Verb
  • Noem was appointed special envoy for the Shield of the Americas in March, after she was removed as homeland security secretary amid mounting scrutiny of her management of the department and the influence of her adviser, Corey Lewandowski.
    — Olivia Gazis, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • According to the Holy See Press Office, doctors removed the lower lobe of the pontiff's right lung during a procedure that lasted approximately 90 minutes.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of removed
Verb
  • South Metro Fire Rescue crews extinguished the fire to keep it from spreading to nearby vegetation and homes.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Firefighters on March 28 extinguished a fire and found Mendez’s body in a ditch, according to a record that the Express-News reviewed.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of extinguished
Verb
  • Streaming Friday on Peacock, Crystal Lake stars Linda Cardellini as Pam Voorhees, who struggles to grieve after her son Jason drowned the summer before.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Six months ago, Thomas drowned during rough horseplay in a pool.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of drowned
Verb
  • Before giving up law completely, Ponder still dipped her toes in the craft, pulling double duty as a trial lawyer by day and moonlighting in projects like Danielle Ponder & the Tomorrow People by night.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Wells Fargo shares dipped 2% Tuesday after the bank reported mixed third-quarter results.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dipped
Adjective
  • Yet Netflix's growth has slowed in recent years amid mounting competition from other streaming platforms and a saturated North American market.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Authentic Individualism By 2027, the essential skill communicators need won’t be using AI but maintaining authentic individualism in an AI-saturated world.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of saturated
Verb
  • The Bluff offers a gorgeous view of a section of the Tanana River and the surrounding boglands, ranging from permafrost forests to wet fens to bogs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Crumble up and wet a small piece, then gently rub it over spots and stains.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of wet
Verb
  • From there, Moton was onto the hospital and immersed in a medical odyssey.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The mix of modern and vintage aims to make customers feel fully immersed in the world of Coach.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of immersed

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Cite this Entry

“Doused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doused. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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