dampen

present singular third person dampens · participle present dampening · participle past dampened · past dampened

1. transitiveTo make damp or moist; to make moderately wet.
2. intransitiveTo become damp or moist.
3. transitiveTo lessen; to dull; to make less intense (said of emotions and non-physical things).

   We won't let the bad news dampen our spirits.

   3 more examples

   He was dreadfully familiar with everything, and talked about some places we were longing to see in a way that considerably dampened our enthusiasm.

   1883 "Pomona's Daughter", Frank R. Stockton, in The Century, vol. XXVI, number 1, May, page 25

   Pregnant women are 20 times as likely as other healthy young women to contract listeriosis, probably because in pregnancy the immune system is dampened to prevent rejection of the fetus.

   2007 October 16, Jane E. Brody, “Despite Strides, Listeria Needs Vigilance”, in The New York Times

   The firm said changes in consumer behaviour had also dampened demand for the powder.

   2020 May 20, “J&J to sell baby powder in UK despite stopping US sales”, in BBC, London: BBC, retrieved 22 May 2020

4. proscribedtransitiveTo suppress vibrations (mechanical) or oscillations (electrical) by converting energy to heat (or some other form of energy).
5. intransitiveTo become damped or deadened.