dowse
verb/daʊz/
/daʊz/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they dowse | /daʊz/ /daʊz/ |
| he / she / it dowses | /ˈdaʊzɪz/ /ˈdaʊzɪz/ |
| past simple dowsed | /daʊzd/ /daʊzd/ |
| past participle dowsed | /daʊzd/ /daʊzd/ |
| -ing form dowsing | /ˈdaʊzɪŋ/ /ˈdaʊzɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to look for underground water or minerals by using a special stick or long piece of metal that moves when it comes near water, etc.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- (also douse)dowse something (with something) to stop a fire from burning by pouring water over it; to put out a light
- (also douse)dowse somebody/something (in/with something) to pour a lot of liquid over somebody/something; to soak somebody/something in liquid
Word Originsense 1 late 17th cent.: of unknown origin.
Check pronunciation:
dowse