"dampening" in the noun sense

1. moistening, dampening

the act of making something slightly wet

"dampening" in the verb sense

1. stifle, dampen

suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity

"Stifle your curiosity"

2. moisten, wash, dampen

make moist

"The dew moistened the meadows"

3. muffle, mute, dull, damp, dampen, tone down

deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping

4. dampen

reduce the amplitude (of oscillations or waves)

5. dampen, deaden, damp

make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible

"muffle the message"

6. dampen

check keep in check (a fire)

7. dampen, damp, soften, weaken, break

lessen in force or effect

"soften a shock"

"break a fall"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

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