as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
those soccer hooligans need a sound douse or two from a police officer's club
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to remove
to rid oneself of (a garment)
in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also dowse
1
as in to extinguish
to cause to cease burning
douse the campfire before leaving in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to drown
to make wet
the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of douse
Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 9 June 2024
Afterward, a Times investigation found the problem stretched back several decades and was possible in part because the inmate housing areas in the aging facility have no sprinklers to douse blazes or blaring smoke detectors to prompt jailers to respond.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
At the end of the video, Dion was doused in Gatorade alongside vintage footage of the teams’ coaches.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for douse 
Noun
The vast majority of wildfires are human-caused, most of them by accident, such as when people create sparks by mowing, drag connecter chains from RVs, or fail to douse campfires, according to Cal Fire.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 9 June 2024
Afterward, a Times investigation found the problem stretched back several decades and was possible in part because the inmate housing areas in the aging facility have no sprinklers to douse blazes or blaring smoke detectors to prompt jailers to respond.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Verb
As Israel waged its military campaign in Gaza, Israel also sought to douse Iran’s ring of fire, including by targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel.
—Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
At the end of the video, Dion was doused in Gatorade alongside vintage footage of the teams’ coaches.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for douse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for douse
Noun
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And in what many consider the final blow to her mayoral career, Thao’s home was raided by FBI agents in July.Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
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That will come as a bitter blow to the workers affected.The Week UK, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Even just the light congratulatory helmet slaps from his teammates feel explosive.Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
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According to the tour agency, on July 3, two young members of an orca pod put on a grand and unexpected show for the whale watchers with playful jumping, tail slaps, and poking their heads out of the water to look around.Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 8 July 2024
Noun
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That’s not a knock on the coaching staff or a knock on anybody.Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2024
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Outside of scenes where the pair figure out their version of a secret knock utilizing sight (wiggling a dollar bill under the door), and the precise moment to blast death metal in a disgruntled neighbor’s pad, their deafness isn’t an asset to their survival.Courtney Howard, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The hit likely didn’t have much competition for either org’s top honor, having been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 nonconsecutive weeks.Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
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Discovery took massive, multi-billion dollar hits this summer to write down the value of their cable assets.Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Rhode founder wore lots of black eyeliner on both her upper and lower lashlines, plus a swipe of pink lip gloss.Kara Nesvig, Allure, 1 Nov. 2024
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TikTokers have fallen in love with the intense volume that this mascara provides, creating a bold, luscious look with just a few swipes.Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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With a new house-music thump behind them, Fuerza Regida found a new after-hours realm.August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
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North American hikers might want to run toward weird thumps on the trail.Melvin Backman, Quartz, 26 Sep. 2024
Noun
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This tribute to the ill-fitting celebrity guest spots on sitcoms of yore rises to incredible heights of lunacy and requires not a lick of prior knowledge about Little Richard to pull laughs from viewers.Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
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Because McMillan’s also one of the few collegiate wideouts who’s ever given Hunter a lick of trouble.Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
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How a sore foot can throw a person’s entire perspective out of whack.The Know, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2024
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Simone, the wrecking agent, causes tenuous systems to spin out of whack, with the events coming close to, but never approaching, real tragedy.Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Douse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/douse. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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