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damp.

In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈdæmp/[ˈdæmp]/ˈdeə̯mp/Canada, US[ˈdeə̯mp]Canada, US
  1. In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.

    The lawn was still damp so we decided not to sit down.
    The paint is still damp, so please don't touch it.
  2. Despondent; dispirited, downcast.

    figuratively
  3. Permitting the possession of alcoholic beverages, but not their sale.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”), from Old English damp, from Proto-Germanic *dampaz. Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to extinguish, choke, suffocate”).

noun/ˈdæmp/[ˈdæmp]/ˈdeə̯mp/Canada, US[ˈdeə̯mp]Canada, US
  1. Moisture; humidity; dampness.

    countable · uncountable
  2. Fog; fogginess; vapor.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
  3. Dejection or depression; something that spoils a positive emotion (such as enjoyment, satisfaction, expectation or courage) or a desired activity.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
  4. A gaseous product, formed in coal mines, old wells, pits, etc.

    archaic · countable · historical · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”), from Old English damp, from Proto-Germanic *dampaz. Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to extinguish, choke, suffocate”).

verb/ˈdæmp/[ˈdæmp]/ˈdeə̯mp/Canada, US[ˈdeə̯mp]Canada, US
  1. To suppress vibrations (mechanical) or oscillations (electrical) by converting energy to heat (or some other form of energy).

    transitive
  2. To dampen; to make moderately wet.

    archaic · transitive
    to damp cloth
  3. To put out, as fire; to weaken, restrain, or make dull.

    archaic · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”), from Old English damp, from Proto-Germanic *dampaz. Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to extinguish, choke, suffocate”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.