"dampens" 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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