moistening

verb

present participle of moisten
as in wetting
to make or become slightly or moderately wet moisten the cloth before cleaning with it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 moistening The next several days will see a cooling and moistening trend in both the Bay Area and Central Coast; temperatures are expected to be well below seasonal averages. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 For this, Langelo recommends moistening the soil to make the weeds easier to pull. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026 Each watering session should deliver about 1/2 inch of water, moistening the soil to a depth of about 6 inches to support healthy root development. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026 For indoor growers, Karsch recommends moistening your seed starting mix well before filling trays or small pots and planting, then keeping it moist with a spray bottle or mister. — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 6 Apr. 2026 Your nose is better at warming and moistening the cold, dry air than your mouth. — Susan Russell, Verywell Health, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moistening
  1. wetting
  2. rinsing
  3. flushing
  4. damping
  5. washing
  6. dampening
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
  • Employee was observed rinsing vegetables in the hand wash sink.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Just after midnight on October 1, police say that video from the victim’s camera showed Wang rinsing out the victim’s coffee mug with a liquid from her own.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of rinsing
Verb
  • The scientists are planning to travel there in 2028 to deploy instruments able to document the flushing in and out of seawater.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Next to the kitchen is the bathroom, which has a walk-in shower and a flushing toilet.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of flushing
Verb
  • Suspension is taken care of by 43-mm upside-down forks with adjustable rebound and compression damping, and an adjustable central spring strut at the rear.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The preset low-speed compression and rebound damping settings can be fine-tuned further with twelve clicks of compression adjustment and sixteen clicks of rebound adjustment.
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of damping
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
  • An improved suspension helped, as did the additional sound dampening made possible by its unified construction.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Polls show bipartisan concerns about AI developing too quickly, and high costs for everyday items like gas and groceries are dampening the economic outlook for many Americans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of dampening

Browse Nearby Words

moistened
moistening
moistens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All