Douse definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DOUSE, v.t. [Gr.]
1. To thrust or plunge into water.
2. In seamens language, to strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly. Douse the top-sail.
DOUSE, v.i. To fall suddenly into water.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: put out, as of a candle or a light; "Douse the lights" [syn: douse, put out]
2: wet thoroughly [syn: douse, dowse]
3: dip into a liquid; "He dipped into the pool" [syn: dip, douse, duck]
4: immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate; "dip the garment into the cleaning solution"; "dip the brush into the paint" [syn: dunk, dip, souse, plunge, douse]
5: lower quickly; "douse a sail"
6: slacken; "douse a rope" [syn: douse, dowse]
7: cover with liquid; pour liquid onto; "souse water on his hot face" [syn: drench, douse, dowse, soak, sop, souse]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb also dowse (doused; also dowsed; dousing; also dowsing) Etymology: perhaps from obsolete English douse to smite Date: 1600 transitive verb 1. to plunge into water 2. a. to throw a liquid on ; drench b. slosh 3. extinguish <douse the lights> intransitive verb to fall or become plunged into water • douser also dowser noun II. noun Date: 1881 a heavy drenching III. noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: circa 1625 British blow, stroke IV. transitive verb (doused; dousing) Date: 1627 1. a. to take in ; lower, strike <douse a sail> b. slacken <douse a rope> 2. take off, doff

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (also dowse) 1 a throw water over. b plunge into water. 2 extinguish (a light). 3 Naut. a lower (a sail). b close (a porthole). Etymology: 16th c.: perh. rel. to MDu., LG dossen strike

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Douse Douse, v. i. To fall suddenly into water. --Hudibras.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Douse Douse, v. t. [AS. dw[ae]scan. (Skeat.)] To put out; to extinguish. [Slang] `` To douse the glim.'' --Sir W. Scott.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Douse Douse, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Doused; p. pr. & vb. n. Dousing.] [Cf. Dowse, and OD. donsen to strike with the fist on the back, Sw. dunsa to fall down violently and noisily; perh. akin to E. din.] 1. To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse; to dowse. --Bp. Stillingfleet. 2. (Naut.) To strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly; as, douse the topsail.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

also dowse(douses, dousing, doused) 1. If you douse a fire, you stop it burning by pouring a lot of water over it. The pumps were started and the crew began to douse the fire with water. VERB: V n 2. If you douse someone or something with a liquid, you throw a lot of that liquid over them. They hurled abuse at their victim as they doused him with petrol. VERB: V n with/in n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Plunge, immerse, submerge, dip, souse, put under water (or other liquid). 2. (Naut.) Strike or lower quickly or in haste, slacken suddenly.

Moby Thesaurus

bang, baptize, bash, bat, belt, blow out, bop, bury, cast off, choke, crack, damp, deluge, dip, doff, drench, drop, drown, duck, dunk, engulf, extinguish, immerge, immerse, inundate, merge, out, overwhelm, plash, plunge in water, put off, put out, quench, remove, sink, slack, slam, slip out of, slop, slosh, smack, smash, smother, snuff, snuff out, soak, sop, souse, spatter, splatter, splosh, splurge, spurtle, stamp out, step out of, stifle, submerge, submerse, swash, take off, throw off, undo, unwrap, wet, whelm