damp

CEFRB1

/ˈdæmp/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Slightly wet, often in an unpleasant way.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Despondent; dispirited, downcast.

Examples

  • Clean the window with a damp cloth.

  • Don't put that damp towel into the bag.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈdeə̯mp/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

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

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

noun

Extra meaning

  1. Moisture; humidity; dampness.

More examples

In context

  • The lawn was still damp so we decided not to sit down.

  • The paint is still damp, so please don't touch it.

  • 25 January 2017, Leena Camadoo writing in The Guardian, Dominican banana producers at sharp end of climate change Once the farms have been drained and the dead plants have been cut down and cleared, farmers then have to be alert for signs of black sigatoka, a...

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After the rain, the blank basement smelled of mildew and mold.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”). 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”). Ultimately all descend from Proto-Germanic *dampaz.