Crossword Genius

Dampen sound of activity? I'd provided way, ultimately (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

humidify

'dampen' is the definition.
(I know that humidify is a more specific form of dampen)

'sound of activity? i'd provided way ultimately' is the wordplay.
'sound of activity?' becomes 'hum' (eg the sound of a machine).
'provided' becomes 'if' (eg 'provided it's sunny' means 'if it's sunny').
'ultimately' says to take the final letters.
The final letter of 'way' is 'y'.
'hum'+'id'+'if'+'y'='HUMIDIFY'

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.