wet
gb/wˈɛt/ us/wˈɛt/
A1
English
~ 2500
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A1
property
1
Covered in or full of liquid
Having water or another liquid on it.
Usage pattern:
[something] is wet
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'wet' with 'humid', but 'humid' describes air with moisture, not surfaces or objects.
Synonyms
damp (Slightly wet, often unpleasantly so.)
|
soaked (Extremely wet, saturated with liquid.)
Antonyms
dry (Having no moisture; opposite of wet.)
Collocations
wet clothes
|wet hair
|wet ground
|wet weather
|wet towel
Themes
daily life
|weather
|nature
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her shoes were wet after walking in the rain.
- The grass is still wet from the morning dew.
- He hung his wet jacket by the door.
- Don't touch the wet paint.
- The dog shook its wet fur all over the floor.
Learner examples
- My shirt is wet.
- The road is wet.
- His hair is wet.
- The towel is wet.
- Your shoes are wet.
Verb
A2
action
2
To make something wet
To put water or other liquid on something.
Usage pattern:
to wet [something]
Common mistake:
Some learners mistakenly use 'water' instead of 'wet' when talking about making a surface damp, but 'water' usually refers to giving plants water.
Synonyms
moisten (To make slightly wet, often intentionally.)
Antonyms
dry (To remove moisture from something.)
Collocations
wet the sponge
|wet the cloth
|wet the brush
|wet the ground
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She wet the cloth before wiping the table.
- You should wet your hair before applying shampoo.
- He wet the soil to make it easier to dig.
Learner examples
- Please wet the towel.
- I wet my hair before I wash it.
- Wet the paper before painting.
adjective
informal
B2
property
3
Inexperienced or naive
Not having much experience; new and not yet skilled.
Common mistake:
Learners may incorrectly use this meaning in formal contexts, but it is informal and often part of idiomatic expressions.
Synonyms
green (Informal term for someone new and inexperienced.)
Antonyms
seasoned (Experienced and skilled through practice.)
Collocations
wet behind the ears
Themes
people
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He's still a bit wet behind the ears when it comes to business deals.
- The new recruit is too wet to handle this project alone.
- She was wet and naive when she first joined the team.
Learner examples
- He is new and wet in this job.
- She is still wet at driving.
- I was wet when I started here.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wet
IPA
GB/wˈɛt/
US/wˈɛt/
Syllables & stress
wet (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (wet)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: wet
- Comparative: wetter
- Superlative: wettest
Verb
- Base: wet
- 3rd Person Singular: wets
- Present Participle: wetting
- Past: wet, wetted
- Past Participle: wet
Word family
Forms
wets
verb
wetting
verb
wetted
verb
wetter
adjective
wettest
adjective
Core family
wetness
noun
Related words
wetland
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
dry
adjective A1
Highlights
- Irregular present participle: wetting Verb
- Irregular past: wet, wetted Verb
- Irregular past participle: wet Verb
- Irregular comparative: wetter Adjective
- Irregular superlative: wettest Adjective
Expressions
get one's feet wet
1/ɡˈɛt wˈʌnz fˈit wˈɛt/
idiom
informal
Begin to get experience
To try something for the first time and start learning how to do it.
Examples
- Volunteering is a great way to get your feet wet before applying for a full-time job.
- I got my feet wet in teaching by helping out in a summer program.
wet behind the ears
1/wˈɛt bɪhˈaɪnd ðə ˈɪɹz/
idiom
informal
Inexperienced and naive
Not having much experience yet; new and not very skilled.
Examples
- She's still a bit wet behind the ears in this field.
- He may be smart, but he's wet behind the ears when it comes to real-world negotiations.
wet blanket
1/wˈɛt blˈæŋkɪt/
idiom
informal
Person who spoils others' fun
A person who makes other people less excited or happy about something.
Examples
- Don't be such a wet blanket—come join the party!
- Don’t be such a wet blanket—come and dance with us.
- He was a real wet blanket at the celebration, complaining about everything.
- His constant negative comments made him a real wet blanket at the party.
- I don’t want to throw a wet blanket on your plans, but we really can’t afford this trip.