Meaning & use
moisten
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To make something slightly wet, using only a small controlled amount of liquid.
Grammar: Takes an object: moisten the cloth; unlike soak, it implies little liquid.
Patterns
- moisten something
- moisten something with something
- moisten your lips
Moisten the stamp before pressing it onto the envelope.
She moistened a corner of the cloth and wiped the dust away.
The recipe says to moisten the dough without letting it become sticky.
Word forms
| third person singular | moistens |
|---|---|
| past tense | moistened |
| past participle | moistened |
| -ing form | moistening |
Common combinations
- moisten the sponge
- Moisten the sponge before sealing a stack of envelopes.
- moisten your lips
- He paused to moisten his lips before the speech.
- slightly moisten
- Lightly and slightly moisten the soil before adding seeds.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dampen
- Dampen is very close, but it can also mean discourage in figurative use. Moisten stays literal.
- wet
- Wet is general and can mean cover with liquid; moisten suggests a light touch.
- humidify
- Humidify is used for air or enclosed spaces, not for a cloth, stamp, or lips.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: moisten or moisturize?
moisten vs moisturize
Moisturize means add oils or creams to skin to prevent dryness; moisten simply means make slightly wet.
Practice
Choose the best verb: Please ___ the stamp a little before sticking it down.
Choose one answer.
A stamp needs a small amount of water, so moisten fits. Soak and drench add far too much, and drain removes liquid.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moisten”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.