Vocabulary     

What does damp mean?

Definitions for damp
dæmpdamp

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word damp.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. damp, dampness, moistnessadjective

    a slight wetness

  2. damp, dampish, moistverb

    slightly wet

    "clothes damp with perspiration"; "a moist breeze"; "eyes moist with tears"

  3. muffle, mute, dull, damp, dampen, tone downverb

    deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping

  4. dampverb

    restrain or discourage

    "the sudden bad news damped the joyous atmosphere"

  5. dampen, deaden, dampverb

    make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible

    "muffle the message"

  6. dampen, damp, soften, weaken, breakverb

    lessen in force or effect

    "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

Wiktionary

  1. dampnoun

    Moisture; humidity; dampness.

  2. dampnoun

    Fog; fogginess; vapor.

  3. dampnoun

    Dejection or depression.

  4. dampnoun

    A gaseous product, formed in coal mines, old wells, pits, etc.

  5. dampverb

    To dampen; to render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; as, to damp cloth.

  6. dampverb

    To put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage.

  7. dampverb

    To suppress vibrations (mechanical) or oscillations (electrical) by converting energy to heat (or some other form of energy).

  8. dampadjective

    Being in a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.

  9. dampadjective

    Pertaining to or affected by noxious vapours; dejected, stupified.

  10. Etymology: Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and Danish damp, German Dampf, Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm, and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen. Also Old English dampen.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Dampadjective

    Etymology: dampe, Dutch.

    She said no more: the trembling Trojans hear,
    O’erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear. John Dryden, Æn.

    All these and more came flocking, but with looks
    Downcast and damp; yet such wherein appear’d
    Obscure some glimpse of joy. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. l.

  2. A DAMPnoun

    Thus Adam to himself lamented loud,
    Through the still night; not now, as ere man fell,
    Wholsom and cool, and mild; but with black air
    Accompany’d, with damps and dreadful gloom. John Milton, P. L.

    A rift there was, which from the mountain’s height
    Convey’d a glimmering and malignant light,
    A breathing-place to draw the damps away,
    A twilight of an intercepted day. John Dryden, Fables.

    The heat of the sun in the hotter seasons, penetrating the exterior parts of the earth, excites those mineral exhalations in subterraneous caverns, which are called damps: these seldom happen but in the summer-time, when the hotter the weather is, the more frequent are the damps. John Woodward.

    Adam, by this from the cold sudden damp
    Recov’ring, and his scatter’d spirits return’d,
    To Michael thus his humble words address’d. John Milton, P. Lost.

    His name struck ev’ry where so great a damp,
    As Archimedes through the Roman camp. Wentworth Dillon.

    Even now, while thus I stand blest in thy presence,
    A secret damp of grief comes o’er my thoughts. Joseph Addison, Cato.

    An eternal state, he knows and confesses that he has made no provision for, that he is undone for ever: a prospect which is enough to cast a damp over his sprightliest hours. John Rogers, Sermon 19.

    This commendable resentment against me, strikes a damp upon that spirit in all ranks and corporations of men. Jonathan Swift.

  3. To Dampverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    The very loss of one pleasure is enough to damp the relish of another. Roger L'Estrange, Fable 38.

    Dread of death hangs over the mere natural man, and, like the hand-writing on the wall, damps all his jollity. Francis Atterbury.

    It would be enough to damp their warmth in such pursuits, if they could once reflect, that in such course they will be sure to run upon the very rock they mean to avoid. Jonathan Swift.

    A soft body dampeth the sound much more than a hard. Francis Bacon, Natural History, №. 158.

    Unless an age too late, or cold
    Climate, or years, damp my intended wing
    Depress’d. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ix.

ChatGPT

  1. damp

    Damp refers to a state or condition characterized by the presence of moisture, humidity, wetness, or slight and often unpleasant moisture. It can also refer to the act of lessening, diminishing, or reducing aspects such as vibrancy, energy, or enthusiasm.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Dampnoun

    moisture; humidity; fog; fogginess; vapor

  2. Dampnoun

    dejection; depression; cloud of the mind

  3. Dampnoun

    a gaseous product, formed in coal mines, old wells, pints, etc

  4. Damp

    being in a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist; humid

  5. Damp

    dejected; depressed; sunk

  6. Dampnoun

    to render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; to dampen; as, to damp cloth

  7. Dampnoun

    to put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage

  8. Etymology: [OE. dampen to choke, suffocate. See Damp, n.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Damp

    damp, n. vapour, mist: moist air: lowness of spirits: (pl.) dangerous vapours in mines, &c.—v.t. to wet slightly: to chill: to discourage: to check: to make dull.—adj. moist, foggy: sometimes in the form Damp′y.—v.t. and v.i. Damp′en, to make or become damp or moist.—n. Damp′er, that which checks or moderates: a mechanical appliance for reducing currents, musical vibration, &c.: (Australia) a kind of unfermented bread.—adj. Damp′ish, somewhat damp.—n. Damp′ishness.—adv. Damp′ly.—n. Damp′ness.—Damping off (hort.), the death of plants from excess of moisture. [M. E. dampen; akin to Dut. damp, Ger. dampf, vapour.]

Suggested Resources

  1. DAMP

    What does DAMP stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the DAMP acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. DAMP

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Damp is ranked #82044 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Damp surname appeared 230 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Damp.

    93.4% or 215 total occurrences were White.
    3% or 7 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'damp' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4838

  2. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'damp' in Adjectives Frequency: #654

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for damp »

  1. M.D. Pa.

How to pronounce damp?

How to say damp in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of damp in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of damp in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of damp in a Sentence

  1. Wendell Porter:

    The amount of energy they can absorb from your body that night, they will be warm in just a matter of minutes, and then you'd have damp stuff that would mold your mattress. So you definitely don't want to do that.

  2. Letitia Elizabeth Landon:

    Grief, after all, is like smoking in a damp country — what was at first a necessity becomes afterwards an indulgence.

  3. Alabama Republican:

    Well, I got in this pocket... damp wet wipes. I am supposed to go ahead at every doorknob, everything else... no touching. They are always telling me do not touch my face. That is really hard, i have certain gestures I have had all my life... now I am sitting there like this.

  4. Joseph Addison:

    Laughter, while it lasts, slackens and unbraces the mind, weakens the faculties and causes a kind of remissness and dissolution in all the powers of the soul; and thus it may be looked on as weakness in the composition of human nature. But if we consider the frequent reliefs we receive from it and how often it breaks the gloom which is apt to depress the mind and damp our spirits, with transient, unexpected gleams of joy, one would take care not to grow too wise for so great a pleasure of life.

  5. Van Dam:

    This is a rare occurrence that took place because cool, damp air became trapped in the lower levels of the canyon, it was literally stuck underneath a warm layer of air just above. In the meteorological world, this is referred to as an inversion when the temperature actually warms with height (as opposed to it cooling with a rise in altitude).

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

damp#10000#18220#100000

References

Translations for damp

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • влажен, влажност, затихвам, задушавам, потиснат, униние, заглушавам, потиснатост, влага, унил, овлажнявам, рудничен газBulgarian
  • humitat, humitCatalan, Valencian
  • vlhkýCzech
  • fugtigDanish
  • befeuchten, ersticken, feucht, anfeuchten, abdampfen, Feuchtigkeit, dämpfenGerman
  • humedecer, humedad, húmedo, amortiguarSpanish
  • نمناکPersian
  • kostea, kaivoskaasu, sammuttaa, tukahduttaa, kostuttaa, vaimentaa, kosteusFinnish
  • mouiller, humidifier, moite, humidité, mouillée, amortir, humide, mouilléFrench
  • नमHindi
  • lembapIndonesian
  • humidaIdo
  • rakiIcelandic
  • rallentare, bagnato, grisù, umido, inumidire, soffocare, smorzare, umiditàItalian
  • לחHebrew
  • 湿っぽい, 湿るJapanese
  • ნოტიოGeorgian
  • mitrs, mikls, valgs, valgansLatvian
  • whakanotiMāori
  • lembapMalay
  • klamDutch
  • wilgotnyPolish
  • umidade, úmido, amortecerPortuguese
  • umedRomanian
  • сырой, влажныйRussian
  • fukta, dämpa, fuktighet, fuktigSwedish
  • nem, rutubet, nemli, rutubetliTurkish
  • 潮湿Chinese

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"damp." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Mar. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/damp>.

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