TOP

Definition of damp adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

damp

adjective
 
/dæmp/
 
/dæmp/
(comparative damper, superlative dampest)
Idioms
jump to other results
  1. slightly wet, often in a way that is unpleasant
    • The cottage was cold and damp.
    • It feels damp in here.
    • damp clothes
    • Wipe the surface with a damp cloth.
    Synonyms wetwetmoist damp soaked drenched saturatedThese words all describe things covered with or full of liquid, especially water.wet covered with or full of liquid, especially water:
    • The car had skidded on the wet road.
    • You’ll get wet (= in the rain) if you go out now.
    moist slightly wet, often in a way that is pleasant or useful:
    • a lovely rich moist cake
    damp slightly wet, often in a way that is unpleasant:
    • The cottage was cold and damp.
    soaked (rather informal) very wet:
    • You’re soaked through! (= completely wet)
    drenched very wet:
    • We were caught in the storm and came home drenched to the skin.
    soaked or drenched?Both of these words can be used with with or in: soaked/​drenched with/​in sweat/​blood. Soaked but not usually drenched can also be used before a noun: their soaked clothestheir drenched clothes saturated very wet:
    • The ground is completely saturated: it would be pointless to plant anything.
    Patterns
    • wet/​moist/​damp/​soaked/​drenched/​saturated with something
    • soaked/​drenched in something
    • somebody’s coat/​shirt/​shoes/​clothes/​hair is/​are wet/​damp/​soaked/​drenched
    • wet/​moist/​damp/​saturated ground/​earth
    • to get wet/​moist/​damp/​soaked/​drenched/​saturated
    Extra Examples
    • Our clothes had got a bit damp.
    • The rain had made the walls damp.
    • The room smelled damp.
    Topics Weatherc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English (in the noun sense ‘noxious inhalation’): of West Germanic origin; related to a Middle Low German word meaning ‘vapour, steam, smoke’.
Idioms
a damp squib
  1. (British English, informal) an event that is disappointing because it is not as exciting or impressive as expected
    • The celebrations were a bit of a damp squib.
See damp in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
given
adjective
 
 
From the Word list
OPAL spoken words
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day