douse Hear it!

douse¹ Definition

douse (do̵us)

transitive verb doused, dous′·ing

  1. Obsolete to hit forcefully
  2. Naut. to lower (sails) quickly
  3. Informal to pull off (shoes, clothes, etc.)
  4. Informal to put out (a light or fire) quickly

Etymology: 16th-c. slang, ? akin to MDu dossen, to beat noisily

douse² Definition

douse (do̵us)

transitive verb doused, dous′·ing

  1. to plunge or thrust suddenly into liquid
  2. to drench; pour liquid over

Etymology: < ? douse

intransitive verb

to get immersed or drenched

noun

a drenching

douse³ Definition

douse (do̵uz)

intransitive verb doused, dous′·ing

dowse

douse Synonyms

douse

v.

  1. To immerse in water

    submerge, splash, drench; see immerse 1, soak 1.

  2. To put out

    quench, drown out, snuff out, splash; see extinguish 1.

douse Usage Examples

Object

  • flame: They then used Bobby's window cleaner buckets which still had water in them to douse the flames.
  • fire: With 1.5 million people without water, the US prioritized laying a water pipe to douse oilwell fires.
  • area: Heat burns may be treated by promptly dousing the injured area with cold water and applying a cold compress.
  • blaze: Like water to a flame this act of defiance against his so called gift doused the blaze.
  • rod: As a result, like a classic dousing rod, very slight subconscious hand movements can cause wild changes in where the antenna points.
  • ember: Once over, soil or water should be used to douse the embers to prevent it flaring up again.

Preposition: with

  • gasoline: Mr Johnson's friend and employer, Jack Sheridan, was doused with gasoline and set alight on February 3, 1975.
  • water: At first we were almost doused with cold water.
  • seawater: If you can find adequate help, gently roll the animal over onto its front and keep its skin wet by dousing with seawater.

Modifying Another Word

  • liberally: No, choice is a large, lifeless herring that has been liberally doused in scarlet.
  • then: He then doused a valiant Stoke fight-back with a third to seal a 3-1 win for Derby.
  • not: They do not douse when I drizzle them from my green watering can.
  • constantly: Four members of the " care team " stayed with the dolphin on the back of the pick-up, constantly dousing it in water.
  • quickly: Our fire fighting equipment quickly doused the fire, and the family were taken back to Cowes.
  • just: Maybe they just douse it in gasoline: it certainly burns quicker than you'd expect.

Preposition: in

  • gasoline: He had seen corpses fail to burn well when doused in gasoline, and that was end of story.
  • water: When the macaques and gibbons were doused in water, they frantically licked the water from their fur.
  • bucket: Aerial shells should be doused in a bucket of water, then buried deep in the ground.
  • perfume: This didn't mean she got involved with the mucky stuff, tho - all the sheep and goats were doused regularly in perfume.
  • vinegar: Cooked fresh cockles have a flavor quite unlike those which have been doused in vinegar - a real taste of the sea.