: unpleasantly moist or wet
a dank basement
dankly adverb
dankness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for dank

wet, damp, dank, moist, humid mean covered or more or less soaked with liquid.

wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (such as paint) not yet dry.

slipped on the wet pavement

damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.

clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place

dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

Examples of dank in a Sentence

vegetables tended to go bad quickly in the dank cellar
Recent Examples on the Web Five people could comfortably fit — and there were 43 of us crammed in a dank hole. Lea Lane, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Darkness fell early; a dank gray that dimmed the natural light by 4 p.m. My wife and I huddled together on the couch with our pets. Kristen Arnett, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024 Here’s a great piece from this week: To someone living outside these dank walls, the changes might seem small. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2024 The vibe: Gone are the dank hallways and clanky radiators. Felix Salmon, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dank 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English danke

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dank was in 1573

Dictionary Entries Near dank

Cite this Entry

“Dank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dank. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

dank

adjective
: unpleasantly moist or wet
dankly adverb
dankness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!