wet

[wet]

adjective

wetter, wettest 

1. moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid.

   wet hands.

   Antonyms: dry

2. in a liquid form or state.

   wet paint.

3. characterized by the presence or use of water or other liquid.

4. moistened or dampened with rain; rainy.

   Wet streets make driving hazardous.

   Synonyms: misty

5. allowing or favoring the sale of alcoholic beverages.

   a wet town.

6. characterized by frequent rain, mist, etc..

   the wet season.

7. laden with a comparatively high percent of moisture or vapor, especially water vapor.

   There was a wet breeze from the west.

   Synonyms: humid

8. Informal.

   1. intoxicated.

   2. marked by drinking.

      a wet night.

9. using water or done under or in water, as certain chemical, mining, and manufacturing processes.

noun

1. something that is or makes wet, as water or other liquid; moisture.

   The wet from the earth had made the basement unlivable.

   Synonyms: humidity

2. damp weather; rain.

   Stay out of the wet as much as possible.

   Synonyms: drizzle

3. a person in favor of allowing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.,  wetback.

verb (used with object)

wet, wetted, wetting. 

1. to make (something) wet, as by moistening or soaking (sometimes followed by through ordown ).

   Wet your hands before soaping them.

2. to urinate on or in.

   The dog had wet the carpet.

verb (used without object)

wet, wetted, wetting. 

1. to become wet (sometimes followed by through ordown ).

   Dampness may cause plastered walls to wet. My jacket has wet through.

2. (of animals and children) to urinate.

wet

/ wɛt /

adjective

1. moistened, covered, saturated, etc, with water or some other liquid

2. not yet dry or solid

   wet varnish

3. rainy, foggy, misty, or humid

   wet weather

4. employing a liquid, usually water

   a wet method of chemical analysis

5. characterized by or permitting the free sale of alcoholic beverages

   a wet state

6. informal,  feeble or foolish

7. informal,  immature or inexperienced; naive

noun

1. wetness or moisture

2. damp or rainy weather

3. informal,  a Conservative politician who is considered not to be a hard-liner Compare dry

4. informal,  a feeble or foolish person

5. a person who advocates free sale of alcoholic beverages

6. (in northern and central Australia) the rainy season

verb

1. to make or become wet

2. to urinate on (something)

3. dialect,  (tr) to prepare (tea) by boiling or infusing

4. informal,  to take an alcoholic drink

Other Word Forms

• wetly adverb
• wetness noun
• wetter noun
• wettish adjective
• nonwetted adjective
• rewet verb rewet, rewetted, rewetting
• unwet adjective
• unwetted adjective
• wettability noun
• wettable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wet¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wett, past participle of weten, Old English wǣtan “to wet”; replacing Middle English weet, Old English wǣt, cognate with Old Frisian wēt, Old Norse vātr; akin to water

Word History and Origins

Origin of wet¹

Old English wǣt; related to Old Frisian wēt, Old Norse vātr, Old Slavonic vedro bucket

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. wet behind the ears, immature; naive; green.

   She was too wet behind the ears to bear such responsibilities.

2. all wet, completely mistaken; in error.

   He insisted that our assumptions were all wet.

3. wet out, to treat (fabric) with a wetting agent to increase its absorbency.

4. wet one's whistle. whistle.

More idioms and phrases containing wet

• all wet
• get one's feet wet
• like (wet as) a drowned rat
• mad as a hornet (wet hen)

Synonym Study

Wet, drench, saturate, soak imply moistening something. To wet is to moisten in any manner with water or other liquid: to wet or dampen a cloth. Drench suggests wetting completely as by a downpour: A heavy rain drenched the fields. Saturate implies wetting to the limit of absorption: to saturate a sponge. To soak is to keep in a liquid for a time: to soak beans before baking.

Example Sentences

Heavy rains and floods have affected at least 21 areas across Sudan in recent weeks, with fears of disease outbreaks, and experts predicting an unusually wet season continuing into September.

From BBC

The match was not interrupted once it got under way, but a wet outfield made fielding conditions extremely difficult.

From BBC

The wet and windy weather follows what was almost certainly the warmest summer on record, according to the Met Office.

From BBC

The unpredictability of the weather is a major challenge, with 2024 a "disaster year" according to Robb because it was so wet.

From BBC

Taylor, who was born in Liberia, uses electronic prosthetic legs that must be charged and can’t get wet.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bathe 
• damp 
• dampen 
• dip 
• douse 
• drench 
• hose 
• irrigate 
• moisten 
• rinse 
• saturate 
• soak 
• splash 
• spray 
• sprinkle 
• steep 
• wash