INDEX:
1. wet
2. slightly wet
3. when the air feels wet
4. to make someone or something wet
5. to make something slightly wet
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ DRY
see also
↑ WATER
↑ LIQUID
↑ WEATHER
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1. wet
▷ wet /wet/ [adjective]
if something is wet, it has a lot of liquid on it or in it; if someone is wet, their clothes, skin, and hair are wet :
▪ I can’t come out yet - my hair’s still wet.
▪ You’d better change out of those wet clothes.
▪ Let’s not sit here - the grass is wet.
▪ Freshly wet roads are dangerous because oil and dust mix with the water to make them slippery.
get wet
▪ Hurry up with the umbrella - I’m getting wet!
all wet
informal
▪ When he got out of the boat, the sleeves of his sweater were all wet.
wet paint/ink
that has not yet dried
▪ All the benches had been painted and had ‘wet paint’ signs on them.
▷ soaked /səʊkt/ [adjective not before noun]
very wet all the way through :
▪ Your clothes are soaked. Leave them in front of the fire to dry.
▪ Don’t leave the cushions in the garden. They’ll get soaked if it rains.
soaked with
▪ Panting and soaked with sweat, Ron came running into the house.
soaked to the skin
▪ When the men came in from the storm, they were soaked to the skin.
soaked through
extremely wet
▪ After a morning walk through the meadow, my shoes were completely soaked through.
▷ soaking/sopping/dripping wet also wringing wet British /ˌsəʊkɪŋ, ˌsɒpɪŋ, ˌdrɪpɪŋ ˈwetǁ-ˌsɑːp-, ˌrɪŋɪŋ ˈwet/ [adjective not usually before noun]
someone or something that is soaking wet etc is so wet that drops of water fall from them :
▪ We were soaking wet by the time we got out of the rain.
▪ There’s no way I can wear this shirt tonight - it’s still sopping wet.
▪ Can I call you back in five minutes? I just got out of the shower and I’m dripping wet.
▷ be soaking /biː ˈsəʊkɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
someone who is soaking is very wet, so that drops of water fall from their clothes or hair :
▪ You’re soaking. Take those wet clothes off before you catch a cold.
▪ Someone had pushed Sally into the swimming pool, and she was soaking.
▷ drenched /drentʃt/ [adjective not before noun]
if a person or area is drenched, it is completely wet, because a lot of rain or water has poured onto them :
▪ Everyone got completely drenched when a huge wave hit the boat.
▪ The two and a half hour walk in the wind and rain left us drenched.
▷ soggy /ˈsɒgiǁˈsɑːgi/ [adjective]
something that is soggy is softer than usual and looks or feels unpleasant, because it has become wet :
▪ Breakfast was terrible - the eggs were burnt and the toast was soggy.
▪ A soggy pile of old leaves lay in the corner of the yard.
▷ sodden /ˈsɒdnǁˈsɑːdn/ [adjective] especially British
something that is sodden is very wet and heavy, and is usually spoiled because there is so much water in it :
▪ His shoes were sodden and covered with mud.
▪ Mary tried to read the writing in her sodden address book, but it was impossible.
▷ saturated /ˈsætʃəreɪtɪd, ˈsætʃəreɪtəd/ [adjective not before noun]
something that is saturated is so wet that it cannot hold any more water or liquid :
▪ When the summer rains begin, the soil quickly becomes saturated.
saturated with
▪ The bandage around his knee was already saturated with blood.
▷ waterlogged /ˈwɔːtəʳlɒgdǁ-lɔːgd, -lɑːgd/ [adjective]
ground that is waterlogged has water on its surface, because it is so wet it cannot hold any more water :
▪ The game was cancelled because the field was waterlogged.
▪ You can plant the seeds anytime, as long as the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
▷ awash /əˈwɒʃǁəˈwɔːʃ, əˈwɑːʃ/ [adjective not before noun] written
if a floor or area is awash, it is covered with a lot of water :
▪ The ship leaned further to starboard and soon the decks were awash.
awash with/in
▪ The toilet leaks, leaving the bathroom floor awash in slimy water.
2. slightly wet
▷ damp /dæmp/ [adjective]
slightly wet, especially in an unpleasant way :
▪ Don’t put that shirt on. It’s still damp.
▪ Clean the counter with a damp cloth.
▪ Be careful you don’t slip - the grass is damp.
▪ There was a damp spot on the ceiling.
▷ moist /mɔɪst/ [adjective]
something that is moist is slightly wet, and this is the way it should be :
▪ The mixture should be slightly moist, but not sticky.
▪ Water the plants regularly to keep the soil moist.
▪ The sandwiches are made with moist slices of chicken breast, topped with various ingredients.
▷ clammy /ˈklæmi/ [adjective]
something that is clammy, especially someone’s skin, is slightly wet and feels unpleasantly cold and sticky :
▪ As soon as the interview began, I felt my hands go clammy.
▪ We were left waiting in our clammy clothes for over an hour.
clammy with
▪ His whole body was clammy with sweat as a result of the malaria.
3. when the air feels wet
▷ humid /ˈhjuːmɪd, ˈhjuːməd/ [adjective]
humid air or weather is hot and wet in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable :
▪ Summers in Tokyo are hot and humid.
▪ Her clothes were sticking to her, but the humid air didn’t seem to bother Ralph.
▪ The entire island is covered by thick humid jungle.
humidity /hjuːˈmɪdɪti, hjuːˈmɪdəti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ The humidity makes it feel even hotter here.
▷ damp /dæmp/ [adjective]
damp
air or weather is slightly wet in an unpleasant way, and makes you feel cold :
▪ It’s cold and damp outside - make sure you wear a warm coat.
▪ At first I hated the damp weather in Britain.
damp/dampness [uncountable noun]
▪ The constant cold and damp made Tony feel even worse.
▷ muggy /ˈmʌgi/ [adjective]
muggy
weather is very warm and wet, and there is no wind, so that you feel very uncomfortable :
▪ When it’s hot and muggy, no one feels like working.
▪ It was a warm muggy afternoon, and it looked like it would rain.
▷ sticky /ˈstɪki/ [adjective]
very hot and wet, making you feel uncomfortable and dirty :
▪ We left Rome on a hot sticky day in August.
▪ Something about the sticky humid weather made people feel a little angry.
▷ dank /dæŋk/ [adjective]
air that is dank, especially the air in an enclosed room or space, is unpleasantly wet and cold and smells bad :
▪ The air in the room was heavy and dank, and I couldn’t sleep.
▪ I’m not surprised he’s miserable, living in that dank old house.
▪ The bag had been sitting in a dank tent for three days and smelled like an old laundry hamper.
4. to make someone or something wet
▷ get something wet /ˌget something ˈwet/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to make something wet, especially by not taking enough care to keep it dry :
▪ Don’t splash me - I don’t want to get my hair wet.
▪ How did you manage to get the bathroom floor so wet?
▪ She can’t wash the dishes without getting the front of her clothes all wet.
▷ wet /wet/ [transitive verb]
to deliberately put water or other liquid onto something :
▪ The other hairdresser usually wets my hair before she cuts it.
▪ She wet her index finger and cleaned the spot off the mirror.
▪ Wetting the toothbrush before you put the toothpaste on makes the bristles softer.
▷ soak /səʊk/ [transitive verb]
if you soak something, you leave it in water for a long time in order to make it clean, soft etc. If water or another liquid soaks something, it makes it very wet :
▪ Soak the beans overnight before cooking.
▪ The rain had come in through the bottom of our tent and completely soaked our clothes.
soak something in something
▪ Soak a piece of cotton in water and use it to clean the wound.
▷ splash /splæʃ/ [transitive verb]
to make someone or something wet by making a lot of small drops of water fall onto them, either deliberately or accidentally :
▪ The kids were playing around in the pool, splashing each other.
splash on/over
▪ He knocked over her cup and splashed coffee all over her new dress.
splash somebody/something with something
▪ A motorcycle sped past, splashing all the spectators with mud.
▷ drench /drentʃ/ [transitive verb]
to make someone or something extremely wet with a large amount of water :
▪ He turned the hose on us and drenched us all.
▪ Blood was pouring from the cut, drenching his shirt.
▷ flood /flʌd/ [transitive verb]
to cover an area of land with a large amount of water :
▪ Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.
▪ In the rainy season the river can rise rapidly to flood the valley in a few hours.
flooded [adjective]
▪ We waded up the flooded garden path to the house.
▷ swamp /swɒmpǁswɑːmp, swɔːmp/ [transitive verb]
to suddenly cover something completely with a large amount of water, especially in a way that causes damage :
▪ Water the young plants well, but don’t swamp them.
▪ The dam burst, swamping the valley and hundreds of homes.
▪ About 3000 years ago a tidal wave swamped the coastal lowlands of Greece, causing massive destruction.
▷ saturate /ˈsætʃəreɪt/ [transitive verb]
to completely cover or fill something with liquid, so that it is wet all the way through :
▪ Heavy rains had saturated the ground, turning the streets into rivers.
▪ Saturate the label with vinegar and let it sit before you try to scrape it off the bottle.
5. to make something slightly wet
▷ dampen /ˈdæmpən/ [transitive verb]
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 /ˈmɔɪs ə n/ [transitive verb]
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.