damp

The word “damp” means slightly wet; not dry but not soaking either. In plain terms, somewhere between wet and dry, or (as a verb) to make something wetter or to muffle/reduce it.

“Damp” is pronounced DAMP (/ˈdeə̯mp/ in IPA).

Here is “damp” used in a sentence: “Wipe the counter with a damp cloth.”

Words with a similar meaning to “damp” include thoan, thone, melancholy and sorrowful.

Depending on how it is used, “damp” can be an adjective, a noun and a verb.

The word “damp” comes from Middle English. From Middle English dampen ("to suffocate, stifle"), related to German Dampf ("steam, vapor") — the sense of moisture came later.

“Damp” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Damp” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: slightly wet; not dry but not soaking either.

"Damp" describes something slightly wet but not soaking, such as a towel that has dried most of the way. "Wet" is the broader, stronger term that covers anything soaked with liquid, so all damp things are wet in a mild sense, but not all wet things are merely damp.

"Damp" can describe a surface, object, or the air itself as slightly wet, while "humid" specifically describes air with a high moisture content. In practice, a humid climate often leaves surfaces feeling damp, but the two words emphasize different things: humid is about air, damp is about the resulting moist feel.

As a verb, "to damp" means to weaken or reduce something, such as a fire, a sound, or a feeling, in addition to its literal sense of making something slightly wet. This verb usage appears in phrases like "damp down a fire" or "damp the vibrations" in engineering and music contexts.