DOUSING Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

dousing 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of douse

as in removing

to rid oneself of (a garment) in those days a gentleman would douse his hat when going indoors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dousing

2 of 2

verb (2)

variants also dowsing

present participle of douse

as in extinguishing

to cause to cease burning douse the campfire before leaving in the morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wetting

to make wet the heavy rains thoroughly doused the tourists strolling the town streets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dipping

to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid douse the grapes in water to remove any grit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dousing

Verb

The blaze was just under a square mile (2 square kilometers) and 5% contained Saturday, when firefighters were still dousing water on smoldering debris from a home that burned. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 The remnants of Hurricane Isaias will finally move out on Monday after dousing the Philadelphia region with soaking rain all day Sunday. — Grant Gilmore, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 According to the press release, Ortega had attempted to set it on fire, dousing the interior with gasoline and shooting at it. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Made by stuffing braised pork onto crusty bread and dousing the whole thing in a tomatobased sauce, tortas ahogadas are impossible to miss and impossible to eat politely. — Michael Snyder, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Aug. 2026 The action has a satisfying crunch, thanks in part due to Wingard’s delight in dousing his actors in buckets of fake blood. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2026 Black-and-white news footage shows volunteer firefighters swatting flames with tree branches and dousing flare-ups with flower-pot watering cans. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Toronto Blue Jays Celebration Sparks Unexpected Controversy The Blue Jays have developed a familiar tradition of dousing players with water after victories at Rogers Centre. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 With help from the nearby Southwest Harbor Fire Department, the crew of the Tremont Volunteer Fire Department sprang into action, shutting down the road and dousing the Tesla using an arsenal of firehoses. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dousing

Verb

Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric scored the club's 1,000th Bundesliga goal, and Alexander Prass was sent off after removing his shirt to celebrate his goal while already booked.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
The takeaway here is that removing debris from orbit requires careful planning.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

Her passion for Pol is a flare, burning brightly and extinguishing quickly.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Chinese authorities have tightened their grip on the media, the legal profession, and civil society, limiting the space for Chinese citizens to discuss mounting social woes and extinguishing emerging calls for deeper political reform.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of extinguishing

Verb

Havenith said deliberately wetting clothing can provide evaporative cooling, including for older adults who may not sweat as effectively.

— Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of wetting

Verb

Thursday night might be the coolest of the week, with temperatures in some areas of South Florida dipping to around 71.

— Miami Herald Staff Report, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Try black vinegar in dipping sauces for scallion pancakes, splashed into a cabbage stir-fry or Black Vinegar Chicken With Radishes, or whisked into a punchy dressing.

— Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of dipping

Verb

Naya Rivera died of an accidental drowning in 2020 and Cory Monteith died of an accidental overdose in 2013.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
In the years since the series concluded, another loss was suffered as Rivera, who played Santana Lopez, died from drowning in 2020 after going boating with her four-year-old son.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of drowning

Verb

For Marxt and his collaborator, the filming process is about immersing themselves in this world to understand it and share the experience with an audience.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
Beigel, who previously worked with FBI officers while helming the ESPN 30for30 documentary The Counterfeiter, spent approximately three years immersing himself in the Loofe case.

— Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of immersing

Verb

Airbnb guests can say goodbye to checkout chores like washing dishes, stripping beds and taking out the trash under a new policy announced this week.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
An employee handled dirty utensils and dishes with gloves on and later handled clean dishes with those same gloves without washing hands in between.

— Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of washing

Verb

As high tide peaked Monday morning, water surged from Newport Harbor onto the streets of the Balboa Peninsula flooding some businesses in the Balboa Fun Zone.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
That means Treasury will need to keep borrowing — a lot, flooding the market with bonds.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of flooding

Browse Nearby Words

douses

dousing

dove

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Style

“Dousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dousing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dousing

verb (1)

verb (2)

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