wet [wet wetter wettest] adjective, verb, noun [wet]
adjective (wet·ter, wet·test)
1. covered with or containing liquid, especially water
• wet clothes
• wet grass
• You'll get wet (= in the rain) if you go out now.
• Try not to get your shoes wet.
• His face was wet with tears.
• We were all soaking wet (= extremely wet).
• Her hair was still dripping wet.
• My shirt was wet through (= completely wet).
2. (of weather, etc.) with rain
• a wet day
• a wet climate
• It's wet outside.
• It's going to be wet tomorrow.
• It was the wettest October for many years.
• The weather will be wet and windy in the south.
3. (of paint, ink, etc.) not yet dry
• Keep off! Wet paint.
4. if a child or its nappy is wet, its nappy is full of urine
5. (BrE) (of a person) (informal, disapproving) lacking a strong character
Syn: feeble, Syn: wimpish
• ‘Don't be so wet,’ she laughed.
more at get your feet wet at foot n.
Word Origin:
Old English wǣt (adjective and noun), wǣtan (verb); related to water.
Synonyms:
wet
moist • damp • soaked • drenched • saturated
These words all describe things covered with or full of liquid, especially water.
wet • covered with or full of liquid, especially water: ▪ The car had skidded on the wet road. ◊ ▪ You'll get wet ▪ (= in the rain) ▪ if you go out now.
moist • slightly wet, often in a way that is pleasant or useful: ▪ a lovely rich moist cake
damp • slightly wet, often in a way that is unpleasant: ▪ The cottage was cold and damp.
soaked • (rather informal) very wet: ▪ You're soaked through! ▪ (= completely wet)
drenched • very wet: ▪ We were caught in the storm and came home drenched to the skin.
soaked or drenched?
Both of these words can be used with with or in: ▪ soaked/drenched with/in sweat/blood. Soaked but not usually drenched can also be used before a noun: ▪ their soaked clothes ◊ their drenched clothes
saturated • very wet: ▪ The ground is completely saturated: it would be pointless to plant anything.
wet/moist/damp/soaked/drenched/saturated with sth
soaked/drenched in sth
sb's coat/shirt/shoes/clothes/hair is/are wet/damp/soaked/drenched
wet/moist/damp/saturated ground/earth
to get wet/moist/damp/soaked/drenched/saturated
Example Bank:
• It's still a little wet outside.
• Mind you don't get your feet wet.
• The grass was wet with dew.
• The weather may turn wet later on in the week.
• We got soaking wet just going from the car to the house.
• We were wet through and cold.
• permanently wet conditions
• Her hair was still dripping wet.
• My shirt was wet through.
• The car had skidded in the wet road.
• We were all soaking wet.
• What's the best thing to do with young children on a wet day?
• You'll get wet if you go out now.
Idioms: all wet ▪ wet behind the ears ▪ wet the bed ▪ wet your pants ▪ wet yourself
Derived Words: wetly ▪ wetness
verb (wet·ting, wet, wet or wet·ting, wet·ted, wet·ted)~ sth
to make sth wet
• Wet the brush slightly before putting it in the paint.
Word Origin:
Old English wǣt (adjective and noun), wǣtan (verb); related to water.
Example Bank:
• Wet the towel slightly with warm water.
• Wet your hair thoroughly before applying the shampoo.
• He wet his finger to test the wind.
noun
1. the wet singular wet weather; rain
• Come in out of the wet.
2. uncountable liquid, especially water
• The dog shook the wet from its coat.
• I could feel the wet of her tears.
3. countable (BrE, disapproving) a conservative politician who supports moderate policies rather than extreme ones
• Tory wets
4. countable (BrE, informal, disapproving) a person who lacks a strong character
Syn: wimp
• Don't be such a wet!
Word Origin:
Old English wǣt (adjective and noun), wǣtan (verb); related to water.
Culture:
In the context of politics the word wet was used by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s to insult the members of her own party who did not agree with some of her more right-wing policies. Later, moderate members of the Conservative Party began to refer to themselves as wets.
Example Bank:
• Materials such as cement and plaster must be stored out of the wet.
• We faced a long, cold walk home in the dark and the wet.
I. wet1 S2 W3 /wet/ adjective (comparative wetter, superlative wettest)
[Language: Old English; Origin: wæt]
1. WATER/LIQUID covered in or full of water or another liquid OPP dry:
I’ve washed your shirt but it’s still wet.
wet grass
get (something) wet
Take an umbrella or you’ll get wet.
wet with
His face was wet with sweat.
The man in the boat was wet through (=completely wet).
soaking/dripping/sopping wet (=very wet)
The towel was soaking wet.
2. WEATHER rainy:
There’s more wet weather on the way.
It’s very wet outside.
the wettest summer on record
3. PAINT/INK ETC not yet dry:
The paint’s still wet.
4. PERSON British English informal someone who is wet does not have a strong character, or is not willing to do something that you think they should do – used to show disapproval:
Don’t be so wet! Just tell them you don’t want to go.
5. BABY if a child or its nappy is wet, the nappy is full of urine
6. somebody is all wet American English informal someone is completely wrong
7. be wet behind the ears informal very young and without much experience of life
—wetly adverb
—wetness noun [uncountable]
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
adverbs
▪ soaking/sopping/wringing wet (=very wet) His suit was soaking wet.
▪ dripping wet (=so wet that water is dripping off) She was dripping wet.
▪ wet through (=with every part very wet) It never stopped raining and our clothes were wet through.
verbs
▪ get wet We both got very wet when we tried to give the dog a bath.
▪ get something wet I didn’t want to get my feet wet.
phrases
▪ cold and wet I was too cold and wet to keep going.
▪ wet and muddy His boots were wet and muddy.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ wet covered in water or another liquid: I’ve just washed my hair and it’s still wet. | You’d better change out of those wet clothes.
▪ damp slightly wet: Wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth. | The sheets are still a little damp. | The grass was still too damp to sit on.
▪ moist slightly wet, especially in a pleasant way – used about soil, food, or about someone’s skin or eyes: It’s important to keep the soil moist. | a delicious moist chocolate cake | Her eyes became moist (=she was almost crying).
▪ clammy feeling slightly wet, cold, and sticky – used about someone’s skin, especially when they are nervous or ill: He had clammy hands. | Ruby was feverish and clammy with sweat.
▪ soggy unpleasantly wet and soft – used especially about food or the ground: a bowl of soggy rice | It had been raining hard and the ground was soggy underfoot.
▪ humid/muggy used when the weather is hot but the air feels wet in a way that makes you uncomfortable: Summers in Tokyo are hot and humid. | a hot muggy day | the humid heat of a tropical forest
very wet
▪ soaked [not before noun] very wet all the way through – used especially about people and their clothes: It absolutely poured with rain and we got soaked. | His shirt was soaked with blood.
▪ drenched [not before noun] very wet – used about a person or area after a lot of rain or water has fallen on them: Everyone got drenched when a huge wave hit the boat. | The garden was completely drenched after the rain.
▪ saturated extremely wet, and unable to take in any more water or liquid: His bandage was saturated with blood. | The floods were the result of heavy rainfall on already saturated soil.
▪ waterlogged /ˈwɔːtəlɒɡd $ ˈwɒːtərlɒːɡd, ˈwɑː-, -lɑːɡd/ used about ground that has water on its surface because it is so wet that it cannot take in any more: The game was cancelled because the field was waterlogged.
▪ sodden British English very wet with water – used about clothes and the ground. Sodden is less common than soaked: The ground was still sodden. | He took off his sodden shirt.
II. wet2 verb (past tense and past participle wet or wetted, present participle wetting) [transitive]
1. to make something wet:
Wet your hair and apply the shampoo.
2. to make yourself, your clothes, or your bed wet because you pass water from your body by accident
wet yourself
I nearly wet myself I was so scared.
Sam’s wet his bed again.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ wet to put water or another liquid onto something to make it wet. In spoken English, people will often use get something wet rather than wet: He wet the washcloth and washed Tom’s face.
▪ splash to make someone or something wet by making a lot of small drops of water fall onto them: The kids were playing around in the pool, splashing each other. | I accidentally splashed soup onto my shirt.
▪ soak to put something in water for a long time or to make something very wet – use this especially when something is put into water or the water comes up from underneath to make it wet: Soak the beans overnight before cooking. | The rain had come in through the bottom of our tent and completely soaked our clothes.
▪ drench to make someone or something extremely wet with a large amount of water – use this especially when water is poured or falls on something: He drenched us all with the hose. | Her shirt was drenched in sweat.
▪ saturate formal to completely cover or fill something with liquid, so that it is wet all the way through: Heavy rains had saturated the ground.
▪ flood to cover an area of land with a large amount of water: Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.
▪ moisten to make something slightly wet by putting a small amount of water or another liquid on it, especially to stop it from getting too dry: Add just enough water to moisten the cake mixture. | Tom paused and moistened his lips.
▪ dampen to make something slightly wet by putting a little water on it: Rain came in through the window, dampening the curtains.
III. wet3 noun
1. the wet the rain
in the wet
The path is steep and dangerous in the wet.
2. [countable] British English a politician who belongs to the conservative party, and who supports very moderate ideas – used to show disapproval:
Tory wets
3. [countable] British English informal someone who does not have a strong character, or is not willing to do something that you think they should do – used to show disapproval:
Go on! Don’t be such a wet!
