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APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

wet

/wɛt/

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What does wet mean?

adjective

  1. Made up of liquid or moisture, usually (but not always) water.
  2. Of an object, etc.: covered or impregnated with liquid, usually (but not always) water.
  3. Of a burrito, sandwich, or other food: covered in a sauce.
More meanings (33)

adjective

  1. Of calligraphy and fountain pens: depositing a large amount of ink from the nib or the feed.
  2. Of a sound recording: having had audio effects applied.
  3. Of weather or a time period: rainy.
  4. Using afterburners or water injection for increased engine thrust.
  5. (slang) Of a person: inexperienced in a profession or task; having the characteristics of a rookie.
  6. (slang) Ineffectual, feeble, showing no strength of character.
  7. Permitting alcoholic beverages.
  8. Of a scientist or laboratory: working with biological or chemical matter.
  9. Employing, or done by means of, water or some other liquid.
  10. (slang) Involving assassination or "wet work".
  11. (slang) Of a board or flop: enabling the creation of many or of strong hands; e.g. containing connectors or suited cards. (Compare dry).
  12. With a usual complement or consummation; potent.
  13. Of code, having the quality of adhering to the principle of WET; containing much repetition.
  14. (slang, vulgar) Sexually aroused and thus having the vulva moistened with vaginal secretions.
  15. (archaic, slang) Refreshed with liquor; drunk.
  16. (dated, obsolete) Of a Quaker: liberal with respect to religious observance.

noun

  1. Liquid or moisture.
  2. Rainy weather.
  3. Rainy season. (often capitalized)
  4. An alcoholic drink.
  5. One who supports the consumption of alcohol and thus opposes Prohibition.
  6. A tyre for use in wet weather.
  7. Alternative form of wat (“stew or curry eaten in Ethiopia and Eritrea”).
  8. (derogatory) A moderate Conservative; especially, one who opposed the hard-line policies of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
  9. (derogatory) A weak or sentimental person; a wimp or softie.

verb

  1. To cover or impregnate with liquid.
  2. To make or become wet.
  3. To make (oneself, clothing, a bed, etc.) wet by accidental urination.
  4. To form an intermetallic bond between a solder and a metal substrate.
  5. (informal) To celebrate by drinking alcohol.
  6. (slang) To kill or seriously injure.
  7. Misspelling of whet.

phrase

  1. Acronym of write everything twice, a humorous backronym coined to serve as the antonym of DRY, punning on the opposition of wet and dry.
Wiktionary contributors Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/wɛt/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

“I’ve been wet through twice a-day, either in snow or rain, this last fortnight. Cainy and I haven’t tined our eyes to-night.”
Thomas HardyFar from the Madding CrowdProject Gutenberg ebook #27
Her dress skirt was gone, her petticoat wet and drabbled, and the waist of her dress was almost torn from her body.
Gene Stratton-PorterA Girl of the LimberlostProject Gutenberg ebook #125
More book examples (3)
"It was so wet and muddy," Sara answered, "it was hard to walk, because my shoes were so bad and slipped about."
Frances Hodgson BurnettA Little Princess Being the whole story of Sara Crewe now told for the first timeProject Gutenberg ebook #146
The one who escap'd inform'd that his and his companions' guns would not go off, the priming being wet with the rain.
Benjamin FranklinThe Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinProject Gutenberg ebook #148
Rising, wet with sweat, he threw his tool down, pulled on his coat, blew out his candle, took his lamp, and went.
D. H. (David Herbert) LawrenceSons and LoversProject Gutenberg ebook #217