From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishput a damper on somethingput a damper on somethingDISAPPOINTEDto make something less enjoyable, active, or great than it could have been A couple of knee injuries put a damper on his football career. → damper
Examples from the Corpus
put a damper on something• The burglary put a damper on the family's Christmas.• Lower prices for Treasury bonds helped put a damper on stock prices, traders said.• A couple of knee injuries put a damper on his football career.• Torrential rain put a damper on the event, sending bedraggled guests squelching across lawns to seek shelter.• It really put a damper on everything.• Analysts had figured the bad news from the giant microprocessor maker would put a damper on technology stocks. 