drowned
ˈdrau̇nd 
; drowning
ˈdrau̇-niŋ
; drowning
ˈdrau̇-niŋ
: to become drowned
fell in the river and drowned
chicken drowning in barbecue sauce
drowning in paperwork
1
2
: to engage (oneself) deeply and strenuously
drowned himself in work
3
: to cause (a sound) not to be heard by making a loud noise
—usually used with out
turned up the radio to drown out the noise
4
a
: to drive out (something, such as a sensation or an idea)
drowned his sorrows in liquor
b
: overwhelm
was drowned in homework
Examples of drown in a Sentence
Four people drowned in the flood.
She fell in the river and drowned.
She claims that he tried to drown her.
He tried to drown himself.
The river overflowed, drowning whole villages.
The food was drowned in sauce.
The loud music drowned the sound of their conversation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Following November elections, 21 individuals will undertake the daunting task of funding and running a massive school system drowning in debt and facing a highly uncertain future demanding the making of difficult decisions.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
The statement over the arena’s PA system was nearly drowned out by a raucous cheer, and the energy in the building never faded until the UConn women’s basketball team was holding its Big East championship trophy under a rainbow shower of confetti.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Attached to it is a video of Andrea Yates, the real Texas woman who drowned her five children amid an episode of postpartum psychosis and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, per the New York Times.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
There is still some of that here, but a lot of Martin’s light-touch meanness is drowned out by his insistence on describing his characters within the context of early COVID — pulling out those masks from the closet.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drown
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
The statement over the arena’s PA system was nearly drowned out by a raucous cheer, and the energy in the building never faded until the UConn women’s basketball team was holding its Big East championship trophy under a rainbow shower of confetti.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Attached to it is a video of Andrea Yates, the real Texas woman who drowned her five children amid an episode of postpartum psychosis and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, per the New York Times.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
There is still some of that here, but a lot of Martin’s light-touch meanness is drowned out by his insistence on describing his characters within the context of early COVID — pulling out those masks from the closet.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drown
Cite this Entry
“Drown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drown. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
drown
verb
drowned
ˈdrau̇nd
; drowning
ˈdrau̇-niŋ
; drowning
ˈdrau̇-niŋ
1
: to suffocate in water or some other liquid
2
: to suffocate because of excess of body fluid that interferes with the passage of oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues (as in pulmonary edema)
: to suffocate by submersion especially in water
drowned three kittens
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