Word.ws English Dictionary

damp squibs

damp squibs is the plural of damp squib.

Meaning of damp squib

Noun

damp squib (plural damp squibs)

  1. (literally) A firework that has been wet and therefore fails to go off correctly.
  2. (broadly, idiomatic) Anything that does not work properly, or fails to come up to expectations; a dud.
    • The anonymous oracle, the author of this pamphlet, is an example of entertaining dullness. He has manufactured a very damp squib; he is a serious man in motley; and practical ideas occasionally drop in among his fantastic vaticinations.1858 May 29, The Launceston Examiner, Tasmania, page 6, column 2

Questions about damp squibs

What is damp squibs the plural of?
Damp squibs is the plural of damp squib.

Words near damp squibs in the dictionary

  1. damp off
  2. damp proofing
  3. damp sheet
  4. damp sheets
  5. damp squib
  6. damp squibs
  7. damp squid
  8. damp squids
  9. damp-dry
  10. damp-proof course
  11. damp-proof courses

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: damp squibs (page history and authors); damp squib (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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