damping
damping — 形容詞
1. a little wet, often giving an unpleasant cold or sticky feel
潮濕的
微濕且令人不適的
a little wet, often giving an unpleasant cold or sticky feel
Fatima wiped the counter with a damping cloth after washing the dishes.
Fatima 洗完碗後用一塊微濕的布擦拭櫥櫃。
damping + noun (attributive use)
The damping air in the cave made everyone's skin feel cold and clammy.
洞穴裡潮濕的空氣讓每個人的皮膚都感到冰涼黏膩。
A damping smell came from the pile of wet laundry left in the basket.
一陣潮濕的霉味從洗衣籃裡那堆濕衣服飄了出來。
Kenji's damping socks left wet footprints on the wooden floor.
Kenji 那雙還潮濕的襪子在木地板上留下了濕腳印。
Grace refused to sit on the damping bench until it had dried in the sun.
Grace 不願意坐在那張還潮濕的長凳上，等太陽把它曬乾再說。
- dry
having no moisture at all
文法句型
damp + noun
be + damp
用法筆記
Commonly describes surfaces, air, cloth, or weather that feel a little wet and uncomfortable rather than refreshingly moist.
常見錯誤
damping — 名詞
1. small amounts of unwanted water in the air or inside buildings, often causing da
潮濕；濕氣
空氣或建築物中多餘的水分
small amounts of unwanted water in the air or inside buildings, often causing damage to walls, furniture, or health
The rainy season caused damping to form on the walls of Satoshi's apartment.
雨季造成 Satoshi 公寓的牆壁上出現潮濕。
Kwame bought a dehumidifier to remove the damping from the basement after the storm.
Kwame 買了一台除濕機來去除暴風雨後地下室的濕氣。
collocation: remove damping
Damping in poorly ventilated houses can lead to mold on furniture and clothes.
通風不良的房子裡若有潮濕，可能會導致家具和衣物發霉。
The doctor warned that damping in the bedroom was making Hana's cough worse.
醫生警告說，臥室裡的濕氣讓 Hana 的咳嗽變得更嚴重。
Linnea noticed a strong smell of damping when she walked into the old library.
Linnea 走進那棟舊圖書館時，聞到一股濃濃的潮濕味。
- dryness
the state of having no unwanted water
用法筆記
Uncountable; used mostly in British English. More commonly expressed with the noun 'damp' in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
damping — 動詞
1. to reduce the strength of a fire by covering it or limiting its air supply, so t
削弱火勢
減少供氧使火勢變慢
to reduce the strength of a fire by covering it or limiting its air supply, so that it keeps burning but at a much slower rate
Kenji damped the campfire with soil before going to sleep.
Kenji 在睡覺前用泥土把營火壓小。
damp + with [material]
Sofia damped the fireplace logs with ash to keep them burning through the night.
Sofia 用灰燼蓋住壁爐裡的木柴，讓火能持續燒一整晚。
The old stove fire was carefully damped with wet sand by the night guard.
老爐灶的火被夜班警衛用濕沙子仔細地壓小。
Amir used a wet blanket to damp the bonfire until only embers glowed.
Amir 用一條濕毯子壓住營火，直到只剩下餘燼發出微光。
After the barbecue, Leila damped the charcoal with a splash of water.
烤肉結束後，Leila 灑了一點水把木炭的火勢壓小。
- stoke
to add fuel or air to a fire to make it burn more fiercely
文法句型
damp + noun phrase (fire source) + with [material]
damp down + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with the particle 'down' as a phrasal verb ('damp down the fire'). The object is always a fire, flame, or burning material — logs, coals, embers, charcoal.
常見錯誤
2. to make economic growth, consumer spending, or business output slow down or beco
抑制
減弱經濟活動或成長
to make economic growth, consumer spending, or business output slow down or become weaker
The central bank raised interest rates to damp economic growth across the country.
中央銀行提高利率以抑制全國的經濟成長。
damp + economic growth — typical economic collocation
Omar worried that higher tariffs would damp trade between the two regions.
Omar 擔心更高的關稅會抑制兩個地區之間的貿易。
damp + trade — used with cross-border economic nouns
Rising energy costs damped consumer spending and slowed the factory's output.
能源成本上升抑制了消費支出，也減緩了工廠的產量。
The new tax law damped investment in small businesses across the state.
新的稅法抑制了全州對小型企業的投資。
The government's strict rules damped activity in the construction industry.
政府的嚴格規定抑制了建築業的活動。
文法句型
damp + noun phrase (economic activity, growth, spending)
用法筆記
Common in economic and policy writing. The object is usually an economic noun such as 'growth,' 'spending,' 'demand,' or 'trade.' Unlike sense 1 (damp a fire), this sense does not take the particle 'down.'
常見錯誤
3. Something damps a feeling — joy, excitement, hope — when it takes away some of i
壓抑；澆熄
使興奮、恐懼等情緒減弱
Something damps a feeling — joy, excitement, hope — when it takes away some of its energy, so the emotion becomes calmer or less forceful than it was.
The rain on the wedding day damped the guests' excitement, but the party inside was still lively.
婚禮那天的雨澆熄了賓客的興奮，但室內的派對仍然很熱鬧。
Omar's enthusiasm for the project was damped when he learned about the budget cuts.
Omar 在得知預算被削減後，對這個計畫的熱情就被壓抑了下來。
passive: be damped by [something]
A harsh review from the art teacher damped Hiroshi's desire to paint again.
美術老師嚴厲的評論澆熄了 Hiroshi 繼續繪畫的念頭。
The constant delays damped the team's excitement about the product launch.
不斷的延遲澆熄了團隊對於產品上市的興奮感。
Knowing that many people disagreed with her views did not damp Ananya's confidence in her research.
知道很多人不贊同她的觀點，並未壓抑 Ananya 對自己研究的信心。
- dampen
Far more common today than 'damp' for this sense; 'damp' is slightly more literary or old-fashioned.
- quell
Stronger — implies stopping the feeling completely rather than just reducing it.
- temper
Slightly more formal; suggests making something less extreme while keeping its basic character.
- diminish
More general — can apply to emotions, value, or physical quantity, not just feelings.
文法句型
damp + noun phrase (emotion)
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice when an external event reduces a feeling. The object is almost always an emotion or mental state — excitement, enthusiasm, confidence, joy, hope, morale.
常見錯誤
4. to make a mechanical system, musical instrument, or moving part produce less vib
減振
減少機件震動以降低噪音
to make a mechanical system, musical instrument, or moving part produce less vibration, resulting in a quieter or more controlled operation
The engineers installed rubber pads under the machine to damp the vibration from the motor.
工程師在機器下方安裝橡膠墊，以減低馬達產生的震動。
infinitive of purpose: to damp + direct object (vibration)
Felt strips inside a piano damp each string after the key is released.
鋼琴的毛氈條在琴鍵放開後能抑制琴弦繼續震動。
Mei-Lin damped the speaker cabinet with foam to stop the humming noise.
Mei-Lin 用泡棉抑制了喇叭箱的低頻嗡嗡聲。
The car shock absorbers damped the vibration from the rough road surface.
汽車的避震器減緩了崎嶇路面帶來的震動。
To damp the noise from the pipes, Satoshi wrapped them in thick foam insulation.
為了減低管線噪音，Satoshi 用厚厚的泡棉隔音材料將管線包起來。
- amplify
to increase the strength of a sound or signal, the opposite of damping
文法句型
damp + object (a vibration, sound, or oscillation)
用法筆記
Frequently used in engineering, physics, and acoustics contexts. The object is typically something that vibrates or produces sound — a string, a membrane, an oscillation, or background noise.
5. to make a surface, cloth, or object lightly wet, usually by sprinkling or touchi
使微濕
讓物體帶少量水分
to make a surface, cloth, or object lightly wet, usually by sprinkling or touching it with a small amount of water
Theo damped a clean cloth with cold water and pressed it against his forehead.
Theo 用冷水沾濕一塊乾淨的布，然後壓在額頭上。
damp + cloth with [liquid]
Before ironing the silk shirt, Hana damped the fabric evenly with a spray bottle.
Hana 在熨絲質襯衫前，先用噴霧瓶把布料均勻噴濕。
damp + fabric before ironing
The gardener damped the soil around each seedling to help the roots settle in.
園丁把幼苗周圍的土壤弄濕，幫助根系扎穩。
Santiago damped a paper towel and wiped the dust off the window sill.
Santiago 把紙巾沾濕，擦掉窗臺上的灰塵。
Mei-Lin always damps her brush before dipping it into the watercolour paint.
Mei-Lin 在蘸水彩顏料之前，總是先把畫筆沾濕。
- dry
to remove moisture from something
文法句型
damp + noun phrase
用法筆記
Object is usually a fabric, sponge, brush, or surface that absorbs water.