dousing 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of douse
as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment) in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dousing

2 of 2

verb (2)

variants also dowsing
present participle of douse
1
as in extinguishing
to cause to cease burning douse the campfire before leaving in the morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 dousing
Verb
The blaze was just under a square mile (2 square kilometers) and 5% contained Saturday, when firefighters were still dousing water on smoldering debris from a home that burned. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 The remnants of Hurricane Isaias will finally move out on Monday after dousing the Philadelphia region with soaking rain all day Sunday. — Grant Gilmore, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 According to the press release, Ortega had attempted to set it on fire, dousing the interior with gasoline and shooting at it. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Made by stuffing braised pork onto crusty bread and dousing the whole thing in a tomatobased sauce, tortas ahogadas are impossible to miss and impossible to eat politely. — Michael Snyder, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Aug. 2026 The action has a satisfying crunch, thanks in part due to Wingard’s delight in dousing his actors in buckets of fake blood. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2026 Black-and-white news footage shows volunteer firefighters swatting flames with tree branches and dousing flare-ups with flower-pot watering cans. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Toronto Blue Jays Celebration Sparks Unexpected Controversy The Blue Jays have developed a familiar tradition of dousing players with water after victories at Rogers Centre. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 With help from the nearby Southwest Harbor Fire Department, the crew of the Tremont Volunteer Fire Department sprang into action, shutting down the road and dousing the Tesla using an arsenal of firehoses. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dousing
  1. removing
  2. extinguishing
  3. wetting
  4. dipping
  5. drowning
  6. immersing
  7. washing
  8. flooding
Verb
  • Doctors then discussed removing his tongue, according to Rockett.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The 71-year-old first American pope was admitted to the Gemelli hospital on Tuesday with doctors removing a nodule that was determined to be pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • Her passion for Pol is a flare, burning brightly and extinguishing quickly.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Chinese authorities have tightened their grip on the media, the legal profession, and civil society, limiting the space for Chinese citizens to discuss mounting social woes and extinguishing emerging calls for deeper political reform.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of extinguishing
Verb
  • Havenith said deliberately wetting clothing can provide evaporative cooling, including for older adults who may not sweat as effectively.
    — Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • Where casting shines is in quickly dipping into an app without reaching for your phone and unlocking it, like updating a payment in the settlement app Splitwise or sending a quick message in WhatsApp.
    — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The eyewear brand is dipping its toe into leather goods with a collection built around travel — with one’s eyewear of course.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of dipping
Verb
  • Prosecutors say he was beaten, suspended by his hands and feet and subjected to simulated drowning during two days of interrogation.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Rings, watches, and even bedtime armbands like Garmin's Index Sleep Monitor now log every toss and turn, while dedicated sleep earbuds like the battery-less SomniBuds focus on drowning out the world around you.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of drowning
Verb
  • Like immersing the dogs in beer before putting them on the grill.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Our formula is based on the universal pleasure of solving a mystery, immersing oneself in an adventure, identifying with inspiring characters, and sharing that sense of liberation so characteristic of adolescence.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of immersing
Verb
  • Walls around the three-sinks are dirty in the ware-washing area.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Meals start with a server ritualistically washing your hands with rose water.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • In the brain, for example, elevated stress hormones can impair learning and memory by flooding the hippocampus with excitatory chemical signals.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • By holding water on the land, these peatlands not only reduce the risk of flooding downstream, but also buffer the landscape against drought, keeping soils moist and supporting nearby forests through dry spells.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of flooding

Browse Nearby Words

douses
dousing
dove
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Cite this Entry

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

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