Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who or that which dampens; a damper.
  • noun In laundry-work, a machine for dampening collars, cuffs, and other garments previous to ironing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A device that moistens or dampens something.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a device that dampens or moistens something

Etymologies

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Examples

  • "The Axon move has come as a short-term dampener for Infosys to some extent," said Harit Shah, a sector analyst with Angel Broking in Mumbai.

    The Economic Times 2008

  • What's been a dampener is the slump in satellite, music and home video rights.

    The Financial Express 2009

  • What could be a dampener is the possible impact of the drought in many parts of the country, which could impact the figures for the March 15 advance tax collection.

    The Economic Times 2009

  • East London electoral officer Mardi Naidoo, describing the weather as a "dampener", he estimated that about 20 to 30 people per station had registered this morning.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1999

  • Well, sorry to put a dampener on that, but my childhood memories of family holidays have scarred me for life.

    It's my holiday. No kids allowed – ever! 2011

  • China's Shanghai Composite slipped 0.5% after state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday the Politburo has said it will continue its current policy stance in the housing market, putting a dampener on hopes for looser policies in 2012.

    Asian Shares Pare Gains Shri Navaratnam 2011

  • Tuesday's broad-based price surge "raises some serious questions over just how much slack is left in the Canadian economy and just how much of a dampener the Canadian dollar really is on prices," said Douglas Porter , deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto.

    Canada's Inflation Leaped in March Nirmala Menon 2011

  • Wartime production siphoned off resources from other economic uses — there was a dampener, rather than a multiplier.

    Matthew Yglesias » Multipliers and Diminishing Returns 2009

  • With a cloudy start to the day, forecasters predict lunchtime showers for the capital that could put a dampener on the royal wedding kiss – planned for the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1.25pm.

    Royal wedding – live blog 2011

  • But rising costs of these items have cast a dampener on the Hindu festival of lights.

    India Hikes Interest Rates to Control Rising Prices 2010

Comments

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  • "2. In laundry-work, a machine for dampening collars, cuffs, and other garments previous to ironing. One type employs metal and rubber rolls for spreading a film of water over the collars or other pieces as they pass between the rolls." -- Cent. Dict.

    June 16, 2011