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put a damper on sth
The rain put a damper on our picnic plans.
这场雨扫了我们野餐的兴。
（火炉、烟囱等的）调节风门，节气门
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
（火炉、烟囱等的）调节风门，节气门
a movable iron plate that regulates draft in a stove or chimney or furnace
The rain put a damper on our picnic plans.
这场雨扫了我们野餐的兴。
抑制或检查的东西
Something that damps or checks:
The rain really put a damper on our outdoor party.
这场雨真让我们户外派对的气氛变得很扫兴。
Each wheel on the car is equipped with a hydraulic damper to absorb shocks.
汽车的每个轮子都装有液压减震器来吸收震动。
Open the damper in the chimney before lighting the fire.
点火的先打开烟囱里的调节风门。
The rain put a damper on our picnic plans.
这场雨扫了我们野餐的兴。
His criticism was a damper on the party's mood.
他的批评让聚会的气氛很扫兴。
The shock absorber acts as a damper to reduce vibrations.
减震器充当阻尼器以减少振动。
You need to adjust the damper to control the airflow.
你需要调节风门来控制气流。
Not this
The bad news dampers my mood.
Use this
The bad news dampens my mood.
damper 是名词，意为‘令人扫兴的人或事物’，而 dampen 才是动词，意为‘使沮丧’。学习者常混淆名词和动词形式，误将 damper 用作动词。
Not this
He is very damper.
Use this
He is a real damper.
damper 是可数名词，使用时通常需要冠词或限定词。学习者可能受中文形容词用法影响，直接将其用作形容词，缺少冠词。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
使扫兴；抑制
The endless rain put a damper on our holiday plans.
连绵不断的雨使我们的假期计划很扫兴。
延音踏板
Press the damper pedal to make the note ring on.
踩下延音踏板，让音符持续回荡。
烟囱风门
Close the chimney damper to keep the room warm.
关上烟囱风门，让房间保持温暖。
减振器
The engine is fitted with a vibration damper to reduce wear.
发动机装有减振器以减少磨损。
防火阀
A fire damper prevents flames from spreading through the ductwork.
防火阀可防止火焰通过管道系统蔓延。
通风调节器
Adjust the draft damper to control the airflow in the furnace.
调节通风调节器，以控制炉子里的气流。
给…泼冷水；使…扫兴
The bad weather put a damper on our picnic.
坏天气使我们的野餐大煞风景。
Use damper naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记忆：damper 里有 damp（潮湿/抑制），潮湿的天气让人扫兴，阻尼器则“抑制”振动，所以它既指“风门/阻尼器”，也指“令人扫兴的人”。
语域：mixed 常见场景：mechanical/electronic/acoustic engineering、stove or fireplace use、everyday figurative speech (e.g. put a damper on) damper 在不同语境中的语域差别较大：技术语境（机械、电子、声学等）中通常为中性/正式用语，指阻尼器、减振器；家居场景中多指炉灶或壁炉的调节风门；而比喻用法 put a damper on…（给……泼冷水）比较常见于日常口语。因此整体标为 mixed，具体需看搭配和场景。
Genuine rhymes: hamper, camper, tamper, scamper, stamper all end in /-æmpə/. Lookalikes: dapper is spelled similarly but pronounced /ˈdæpə/ and does not rhyme; dampen /ˈdæmpən/ also looks like damper but has a different ending.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.