dampendamp‧en /ˈdæmpən/ verb [transitive] 
Verb Table Examples
The light rain dampened the crowd’s enthusiasm. Raising interest rates might dampen the economy.3to make a sound or movement less loud or strong: The spring dampens the shock of the impact.
Verb TableVERB TABLE
dampen
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | dampen |
| he, she, it | dampens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | dampened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have dampened |
| he, she, it | has dampened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had dampened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will dampen |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have dampened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am dampening |
| he, she, it | is dampening | |
| you, we, they | are dampening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was dampening |
| you, we, they | were dampening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been dampening |
| he, she, it | has been dampening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been dampening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be dampening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been dampening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Dampen the soil a little before you put the seeds in.
- a cloth dampened with alcohol
- Demand for gasoline has been dampened by the recession.
- If you dampen your piece of paper before you start painting it will be easier to paint evenly.
- My many mistakes didn't dampen my enthusiasm for gardening.
- She dampened a cloth and held it to his forehead.
- However, in a quiet way he probably did much to dampen ill-judged enthusiasm for Habbakuk.
- I willed myself into a hypnotic state, feeling my armpits dampen with sweat.
- Roll out half the white icing to the same shape as the pink, and lightly dampen with water.
- Sea spray and rain dampened them instantly.
- Soggy underfoot it may be, but it's hard to dampen the spirit of the country's premier rowing event.
- The separate failures of these two giants seemed to dampen the prospects for ever solving the longitude problem with a clock.
- Very dry plaster, or other high-suction backgrounds should be dampened immediately before fixing the cove.
THESAURUS► wet
Collocations to put water or another liquid onto something to make it wet. In spoken English, people will often use get something wet rather than wet: · He wet the washcloth and washed Tom’s face.
► splash to make someone or something wet by making a lot of small drops of water fall onto them: · The kids were playing around in the pool, splashing each other.· I accidentally splashed soup onto my shirt.
► soak to put something in water for a long time or to make something very wet – use this especially when something is put into water or the water comes up from underneath to make it wet: · Soak the beans overnight before cooking.· The rain had come in through the bottom of our tent and completely soaked our clothes.
► drench to make someone or something extremely wet with a large amount of water – use this especially when water is poured or falls on something: · He drenched us all with the hose.· Her shirt was drenched in sweat.
► saturate formal to completely cover or fill something with liquid, so that it is wet all the way through: · Heavy rains had saturated the ground.
► flood to cover an area of land with a large amount of water: · Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.
► moisten to make something slightly wet by putting a small amount of water or another liquid on it, especially to stop it from getting too dry: · Add just enough water to moisten the cake mixture.· Tom paused and moistened his lips.
► dampen to make something slightly wet by putting a little water on it: · Rain came in through the window, dampening the curtains.
Longman Language Activatorto make something slightly wet► dampen to make something slightly wet by putting a little water on it: · Dampen the soil a little before you put the seeds in.· She dampened a cloth and held it to his forehead.· If you dampen your piece of paper before you start painting it will be easier to paint evenly.
► moisten to make something slightly wet by putting a small amount of water or another liquid on it, especially to stop it from getting too dry: · Add just enough water to moisten the cake mixture without making it too watery.· Tom paused and moistened his lips.· When the clay becomes dry, moisten it lightly before you continue to shape it.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► dampen somebody’s enthusiasm
1to make something slightly wet SYN moisten2 (also dampen down British English) to make something such as a feeling or activity less strong: (=cause people to be unenthusiastic)· The rain had dampened our enthusiasm.
► dampen somebody’s spirits (=make them feel less happy)· They refused to let the rain dampen their spirits.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► down· The only way to ensure that the unwanted behaviour does not reappear is to keep it dampened down by more punishments.· Interest rates were increased in September 1989 and restrictions placed on commercial bank lending to dampen down economic activity.
NOUN► enthusiasm· But the defeat did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Biarritz folk.· However, in a quiet way he probably did much to dampen ill-judged enthusiasm for Habbakuk.
The light rain dampened the crowd’s enthusiasm. Raising interest rates might dampen the economy.3to make a sound or movement less loud or strong: The spring dampens the shock of the impact.