Library / English Dictionary

DOUSE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cover with liquid; pour liquid onto

Example:

souse water on his hot face

Synonyms:

douse; dowse; drench; soak; sop; souse

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

wet (cause to become wet)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "douse"):

brine (soak in brine)

bedraggle; draggle (make wet and dirty, as from rain)

bate (soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments)

ret (place (flax, hemp, or jute) in liquid so as to promote loosening of the fibers from the woody tissue)

flush; sluice (irrigate with water from a sluice)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They douse the cloth with water and alcohol

Sense 2

Meaning:

Slacken

Example:

douse a rope

Synonyms:

douse; dowse

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

remit; slacken (make slack as by lessening tension or firmness)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Lower quickly

Example:

douse a sail

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

furl; roll up (form into a cylinder by rolling)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate

Example:

dip the brush into the paint

Synonyms:

dip; douse; dunk; plunge; souse

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

immerse; plunge (thrust or throw into)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "douse"):

sop (dip into liquid)

dip; douse; duck (dip into a liquid)

dabble (dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

dousing (the act of wetting something by submerging it)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Dip into a liquid

Example:

He dipped into the pool

Synonyms:

dip; douse; duck

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

dip; douse; dunk; plunge; souse (immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Wet thoroughly

Synonyms:

douse; dowse

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

wet (cause to become wet)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Water and alcohol douse the cloth

Sense 7

Meaning:

Put out, as of a candle or a light

Example:

Douse the lights

Synonyms:

douse; put out

Classified under:

Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering

Hypernyms (to "douse" is one way to...):

blow out; extinguish; quench; snuff out (put out, as of fires, flames, or lights)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

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