Have a subduing or inhibiting effect on:he put a damper on her youthful excitement...
A droopy stock market and the dot-com crash that began nearly two years ago put a damper on the high end at a time when many were trying to cash in on the real-estate boom.
Quit worrying, you're putting a damper on the day.
Well, okay, bad weather can put a damper on any vacation (pardon the pun).