wet

[wet] /wɛt/
adjective, wetter, wettest.
1.
moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid:
wet hands.
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.
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.
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
10.
something that is or makes wet, as water or other liquid; moisture:
The wet from the earth had made the basement unlivable.
11.
damp weather; rain:
Stay out of the wet as much as possible.
12.
a person in favor of allowing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
13.
Informal: Disparaging and Offensive. a wetback.
verb (used with object), wet or wetted, wetting.
14.
to make (something) wet, as by moistening or soaking (sometimes followed by through or down):
Wet your hands before soaping them.
15.
to urinate on or in:
The dog had wet the carpet.
verb (used without object), wet or wetted, wetting.
16.
to become wet (sometimes followed by through or down):
Dampness may cause plastered walls to wet. My jacket has wet through.
17.
(of animals and children) to urinate.
Idioms
18.
all wet, Informal. completely mistaken; in error:
He insisted that our assumptions were all wet.
19.
wet behind the ears, immature; naive; green:
She was too wet behind the ears to bear such responsibilities.
20.
wet one's whistle. whistle (def 16).
21.
wet out, to treat (fabric) with a wetting agent to increase its absorbency.
Origin
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
Related forms
wetly, adverb
wetness, noun
wetter, noun
wettish, adjective
nonwetted, adjective
overwet, adjective, verb (used with object), overwet or overwetted, overwetting.
overwetly, adverb
overwetness, noun
rewet, verb, rewet or rewetted, rewetting.
unwet, adjective
unwetted, adjective
Can be confused
wet, whet.
Synonyms
1. dampened, drenched. 4. misty, drizzling. 7. humid. 10. wetness, humidity, dampness, dankness. 11. drizzle. 14. 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.
Antonyms
1. dry.
British Dictionary definitions for wet behind the ears

wet

/wɛt/
adjective wetter, wettest
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.
(mainly US & Canadian) characterized by or permitting the free sale of alcoholic beverages: a wet state
6.
(Brit, informal) feeble or foolish
7.
(informal) wet behind the ears, immature or inexperienced; naive
noun
8.
wetness or moisture
9.
damp or rainy weather
10.
(Brit, informal) a Conservative politician who is considered not to be a hard-liner Compare dry (sense 21)
11.
(Brit, informal) a feeble or foolish person
12.
(mainly US & Canadian) a person who advocates free sale of alcoholic beverages
13.
(Austral) the wet, (in northern and central Australia) the rainy season
verb wets, wetting, wet, wetted
14.
to make or become wet
15.
to urinate on (something)
16.
(transitive) (dialect) to prepare (tea) by boiling or infusing
17.
(informal) wet one's whistle, to take an alcoholic drink
Derived Forms
wetly, adverb
wetness, noun
wettability, noun
wettable, adjective
wetter, noun
wettish, adjective
Word Origin
Old English wǣt; related to Old Frisian wēt, Old Norse vātr, Old Slavonic vedro bucket
Word Origin and History for wet behind the ears

wet

adj.

Old English wæt "moist, liquid," from Proto-Germanic *wætaz (cf. Old Frisian wet ). Also from the Old Norse form, vatr. All related to water (n.1).

Wet blanket "person who has a dispiriting effect" is recorded from 1879, from use of blankets drenched in water to smother fires (the phrase is attested in this literal sense from 1660s). All wet "in the wrong" is recorded from 1923, American English; earlier simply wet "ineffectual," and perhaps ultimately from slang meaning "drunken" (c.1700). Wet-nurse is from 1610s. Wet dream is from 1851; in the same sense Middle English had ludificacioun "an erotic dream."

He knew som tyme a man of religion, þat gaff hym gretelie vnto chastitie bothe of his harte & of his body noghtwithstondyng he was tempid with grete ludificacions on þe nyght. ["Alphabet of Tales," c.1450]

v.

Old English wætan "to be wet;" see wet (adj.). Related: Wetted; wetting.

wet behind the ears in Culture

wet behind the ears definition


Immature, inexperienced, and na&idie;ve: “Don't rely on his advice about girlfriends; he's still wet behind the ears.”

Slang definitions & phrases for wet behind the ears

wet behind the ears

Related Terms

not dry behind the ears


wet

adjective
  1. Permitting or advocating the sale of liquor: This is a wet county (1870+)
  2. Inferior, feeble; stupid and unappealing; wimpish: A man is ''wet'' if he isn't a regular guy (1916+)
  3. Bloody; gory: He's criminally liable even if Willoughby did the wet work (1970s+ Police)
  4. Sexually aroused: Simon is a smoothie who likes to woo women with fast rides: ''The 'vette gets 'em wet''/ Elvis dreamed of belting ''All Shook Up'' for strange, wet women (1940s+)
Related Terms

all wet, get one's feet wet


Related Abbreviations for wet behind the ears

WET

Western European Time
Idioms and Phrases with wet behind the ears

wet behind the ears

Also, not dry behind the ears. Immature, inexperienced, as in How can you take instructions from Tom? He's still wet behind the ears, or Jane's not dry behind the ears yet. This term alludes to the fact that the last place to dry in a newborn colt or calf is the indentation behind its ears. [ Early 1900s ]

wet

also see: