douse

/daʊs/ (bre, ipa) · /daʊs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdau̇s also ˈdau̇z/ (ame, mw)

douse — 動詞

  • dousepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • douseshe / she / it
  • dousedpast simple
  • dousing-ing form

1. to cover a person or thing in a liquid by pouring it heavily over them, making t

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

澆淋；潑灑

朝人或物大量澆淋液體使之濕透

to cover a person or thing in a liquid by pouring it heavily over them, making them completely wet.

例句

Mei-Lin doused her younger sister with a bucket of cold water as a joke.

Mei-Lin 提了一桶冷水潑在妹妹身上，當作開玩笑。

douse + object + with + liquid (bucket of water)

The firefighter doused the burning curtains before the flames could reach the ceiling.

消防隊員在火勢蔓延到天花板之前，先澆淋了燃燒中的窗簾。

同義詞
  • drench

    more formal and implies being soaked through completely

  • soak

    implies leaving something in liquid until it absorbs it, not just throwing liquid on it

  • splash

    less forceful; implies smaller amounts of liquid

反義詞

文法句型

douse + object + with/in + liquid

用法筆記

Often used in the passive: 'The spectators were doused with water.' Object is usually a person, object, or area that becomes wet.

常見錯誤

❌She doused water on the plants.
✅She doused the plants with water.
💡The object of 'douse' is the thing that gets wet, not the liquid itself.

2. to make a fire or flame stop burning, or a light stop shining, usually by using

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

澆熄；撲滅

用水或覆蓋方式將火或燈光熄滅

to make a fire or flame stop burning, or a light stop shining, usually by using water or blocking the air around it.

例句

Kenji doused the campfire with sand before heading back to the tent for the night.

Kenji 用沙子澆熄營火，然後才回帳篷過夜。

douse + fire + with + covering material (sand)

Amina quickly doused the candle when the smoke alarm began to beep.

Amina 一聽到煙霧警報器響起，就迅速吹熄了蠟燭。

同義詞
  • extinguish

    more formal; the standard term for putting out fires

  • put out

    more common in everyday conversation

  • quench

    usually used for thirst or hot metal, not typically for fires

反義詞

文法句型

douse + object (fire, flame, candle, light)

用法筆記

When referring to lights or candles, 'douse' is slightly informal compared to 'extinguish'. For large fires, 'put out' is more common in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌She doused the lights before leaving.
✅She turned off the lights before leaving.
💡'Douse' for lights typically refers to flames (candles, lanterns), not electric lights.

3. to put something into a liquid for a short time and then remove it, usually in o

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

浸入；蘸

將物品短暫浸入液體後取出

to put something into a liquid for a short time and then remove it, usually in order to wet it, add a coating, or clean it.

例句

Ingrid doused the paintbrush in water to remove the leftover blue paint.

Ingrid 把畫筆浸入水中，洗掉殘留的藍色顏料。

douse + object + in + liquid (for cleaning)

Omar doused the armful of willow branches into the stream, holding them under for only a moment to soften the bark.

Omar 將一把柳條浸入溪水中，只泡了一下就把樹皮泡軟。

douse + object + into + liquid (brief forceful immersion)

同義詞
  • dip

    the everyday word for briefly placing something in liquid; less forceful than douse

  • plunge

    implies putting something in more deeply and with greater force

文法句型

douse + object + in/into + liquid

用法筆記

This sense is less common in modern English; 'dip' or 'plunge' are used more often for this meaning. 'Douse' in this sense suggests a quicker, more forceful action than 'dip'.

常見錯誤

❌He doused the bread in the soup.
✅He dipped the bread in the soup.
💡'Dip' is the ordinary word for briefly putting food into a liquid; 'douse' sounds too forceful for food.

4. to pull a sail, flag, or similar object down very quickly, especially on a ship

4.動詞及物C1
釋義

迅速降下

在船上緊急快速地降下船帆或旗幟

to pull a sail, flag, or similar object down very quickly, especially on a ship in an emergency.

例句

The crew doused the mainsail when the sudden storm hit the boat.

暴風雨突然來襲時，船員們迅速降下了主帆。

nautical: douse + sail (mainsail)

Dimitri doused the ship's flag as a sign of respect when the admiral's vessel passed by.

Dimitri 降下船旗，以示對將軍船艦經過的敬意。

同義詞
  • lower

    the general term; does not carry the 'quickly' or 'nautical' flavour

  • strike

    formal nautical term for lowering a sail or flag; similar register to douse

反義詞

文法句型

douse + object (sail, flag)

用法筆記

This sense belongs almost entirely to nautical language. On land, 'lower' or 'take down' is used instead.

5. to let out a rope, cable, or line so that it becomes looser and less tight.

5.動詞及物C1
釋義

放鬆；鬆開

將繩索或纜繩放鬆使之不再繃緊

to let out a rope, cable, or line so that it becomes looser and less tight.

例句

Anita told Boris to douse the mooring line so the boat could drift closer to the dock.

Anita 要 Boris 放鬆纜繩，讓船能夠慢慢靠近碼頭。

nautical: douse + rope (mooring line)

The sailor doused the anchor rope a little so the chain would not snap under the pressure.

水手稍微放鬆了錨繩，以免鏈條承受不住壓力而斷裂。

同義詞
  • slacken

    the standard word for making a rope less tight

  • loosen

    more general; can apply to knots, ropes, or any tight fitting

  • let out

    phrasal verb, very common in everyday English

反義詞

文法句型

douse + object (rope, line, cable)

用法筆記

This nautical sense is the rarest use of 'douse'. In modern speech, 'loosen', 'slacken', or 'let out' are much more common.

douse — 名詞