put a damper on

• put a dampener on

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put a damper on (third-person singular simple present puts a damper on, present participle putting a damper on, simple past and past participle put a damper on)

1. (idiomatic) To stop people from enjoying an activity.

   Synonyms: rain on somebody's parade, upset the applecart; see also Thesaurus:put a damper on

   John told us he had lost his job, which put a damper on the celebrations.

• rock the boat
• make waves
• wet blanket
• killjoy
• party pooper
• spoilsport
• stick in the mud