douse
/daʊs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.59 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
noun
A blow or strike, especially to the face.
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "Set fire to your matches! / Douse them in gasoline!"
- "swing i' th'air, or douse in water"
- "The man who doused the fire was told to put the remainder of the coal into the bucket and then give the bucket to the soldier."
- "Once you feel confident in your visualizations, you may douse the candle by blowing it out."
- "Now he rushed to the platform edge carrying a full fire bucket, in a forlorn attempt to douse the flames as the now brightly burning wagon rolled past."
- "Trump made efforts to douse the flames with ever-shifting explanations, excuses and distractions but merely poured fuel on the fire."
Etymology
Probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish dunsa (“to plumb down, fall clumsily”), Danish dunse (“to thump”). Compare Old English dwǣsċan (“to extinguish”) and douse below.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, duschen
Usage
Inflected Forms
douses (present, singular)
dousing (participle, present)
doused (participle, past)
doused (past)
dowse (alternative)
douze (alternative)
douce (alternative)
dause (alternative)
douses (plural)