Dampened [verb]

When sports did return, they did so with mostly empty stadiums and fan bases whose interest in sports was dampened by the pandemic and a dizzying political-news cycle.

That’s already heavily depressed because of the coronavirus, but protests and, especially, rioting would probably dampen it even further.

To help dampen tech sector worries as much as possible, portfolio managers earmarked a few names that may be somewhat out of the crosshairs from either election result in Fortune’s Q4 investor guide, including Microsoft and Taiwan Semiconductor.

Facebook beat expectations in the quarter, but rising costs seemed to dampen investor sentiment.

If scrolling through grim news feeds is dampening their mood, encourage them to take a social media break.

The mirrors hang from glass threads to passively dampen any vibrations.

Also, keep in mind that relatively few voters are undecided this year, and that many people have already voted, which could dampen the effect of any last-minute news developments.

Sony has also added several noise-reducing features including extra sheet metal and insulation around the disc drive itself in order to dampen vibrations.

Steroids and other drugs that affect the immune systemDrugs like dexamethasone and other common steroids are used to dampen the effects of the immune system.

Although the 16-team format served to dampen the World Series odds for top teams, that hasn’t stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers from looking like far and away the best team of 2020.