Damp Definition

dămp

damped, dampest, damping, damps, damper

adjective

dampest, damper

Somewhat moist or wet; humid.

Webster's New World

Humid.

Damp air.

American Heritage

Dejected; depressed.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

damps

A slight wetness; moisture.

Webster's New World

Moisture that lies or has condensed on something.

American Heritage

A harmful gas sometimes found in mines; firedamp; blackdamp.

Webster's New World

A dejected or depressed state.

Webster's New World

Lowness of spirits; depression.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

verb

damped, damping, damps

To make damp; moisten.

Webster's New World

To slow the combustion of (a fire) by cutting off most of the air supply; bank.

Webster's New World

To check or reduce (energy or action)

Webster's New World

To check or deaden the vibration of (a piano string, drum membrane, etc.)

Webster's New World

To reduce the amplitude of (oscillations, waves, etc.)

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

idiom

damp off

to wither and die because of mildew, as seedlings, plant shoots, etc.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Damp

Adjective

Base Form:

damp

Comparative:

damper

Superlative:

dampest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Damp

damp off

Origin of Damp

Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and Danish damp (“vapor, steam, fog”), German Dampf, Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Old English dampen (“to choke, suffocate”).

From Wiktionary
Middle English poison gas perhaps from Middle Dutch vapor

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition