verb

dowse

To soak with liquid.

We dowse the hot coals with water before leaving camp.

Etymology

Dowse is a variant of douse in this sense. It preserves the action of wetting thoroughly or immersing something, rather than searching for underground water.

More examples

A sudden wave dowses everyone on the deck.
He dowsed his shirt with water to stay cool.
Keep dowsing the ashes until they are completely cold.

Forms

dowse · dowses · dowsed · dowsing

Similar words

drench: Emphasizes heavy wetting, especially from liquid poured or falling.
soak: Emphasizes becoming thoroughly wet, often through immersion over time.
saturate: Emphasizes absorbing liquid until no more can be held.