What does dowse mean?
"Dowse" is a versatile English verb with two distinct strands of meaning. Its older and more widespread use means to plunge something into liquid or to drench it — so you might dowse a campfire with a bucket of water, dowse a candle, or dowse yourself in cold water after a run. In this sense it overlaps almost entirely with its variant spelling "douse," which predominates in American English. A separate sense, chiefly British, refers to searching for underground water or minerals using a divining rod: a practitioner said to dowse for water is called a dowser. The word is informal-to-neutral in register and appears most often in practical contexts involving fires, lights, and soaking. Its dual life makes it a compact example of how a single short English word can serve both everyday physical action and an old folk practice, and it remains current in both British and American usage today.
verbTo plunge or soak something in liquid, or to extinguish a flame by drenching it with water; alternatively (chiefly British) to search for underground water using a divining rod.
- To drench or soak something thoroughly in liquid.
- To extinguish (a light or fire), especially by dousing it with water.
- (Chiefly British) To search for underground water or minerals using a divining rod; to practise dowsing.
"The firefighters quickly dowse the smoldering embers before they can reignite."
"She dowse the campfire with a bucket of water before turning in for the night."
"An old farmer offered to dowse for a well site on their new property."
Dowse is one of those rare words that lets you put out a fire and hunt for hidden water with a forked stick — using the exact same letters.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dowse
The origin of "dowse" is genuinely obscure, which lexicographers have long acknowledged rather than papered over. It first appears in English in the early 17th century, initially meaning to strike or beat before shifting to its now-dominant senses of drenching and extinguishing. No secure root in Latin, Greek, or any other language has been established, so no confident cognates can be cited; the spelling variant "douse" arose from the same source and simply became the preferred American form.
Related word forms
How dowse is actually used
The verb takes standard -s/-d inflections (dowses, dowsed, dowsing) despite ending in a vowel sound spelled 'e'. The water-divining sense is more common in British English, where it underpins the noun "dowser" for a person who uses a divining rod.
Easily confused with dowse
"Douse" is the more common American spelling of the same verb meaning to drench or extinguish, while "dowse" is the standard form in British English and the usual spelling for searching for water with a divining rod.