siphon

1 of 2

noun

si·​phon ˈsī-fən How to pronounce siphon (audio)
variants or less commonly
1
a
: a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow
b
usually syphon : a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened
2
: any of various tubular organs in animals and especially mollusks or arthropods that are used for drawing in or ejecting fluids

Illustration of siphon

Illustration of siphon
  • siphon 1a

siphon

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly syphon
siphoned also syphoned; siphoning also syphoning ˈsī-fə-niŋ How to pronounce siphon (audio)
ˈsīf-niŋ

transitive verb

: to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon
often used with off

intransitive verb

: to pass by or as if by a siphon

Examples of siphon in a Sentence

Verb The water needs to be siphoned from the pool. She illegally siphoned money out of other people's bank accounts. Funds were siphoned from the schools to build a new stadium. The large chain stores are siphoning profits from the small local stores.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For a bowl of mushroom ramen, the broth is heated tableside in a Japanese coffee siphon, a complexly vertical contraption that looks like lab equipment and is thrillingly, pointlessly dramatic as a vehicle for soup. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2023 While some bars use substances like agar-agar and xanthan gum to create eggless foams and froths, some of those require nitrous-oxide siphons or other equipment. M. Carrie Allan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2024 On a gurney, a brain-dead patient lay connected to a whirring Rube Goldberg-esque machine: a tangle of tubes and siphons on wheels. Megan Molteni, STAT, 18 Jan. 2024 The original plan called for permanently closing siphons. Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023 The new slide said the siphons will be left open as needed. Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023 Indigenous people say that falsely claiming and appropriating their identity siphons away resources and opportunities from Indigenous people and fuels harmful stereotypes in a country where the real trauma Indigenous people have experienced has often been dismissed. Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023 To meet that demand, private companies producing sugar (and, later, pineapples) rerouted the flow from Maui’s watersheds, building concrete ditches, tunnels, pipes, flumes, siphons, and trestles across the island. Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 The whole body, from its base all the way up to the siphons, is complete. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
Verb
But with its top targets passing, Democratic worries about third-party and independent candidates have shifted to the prospect that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could siphon votes away from Mr. Biden. Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The cost of servicing that growing debt pile is siphoning ever greater amounts of money away from vital public services, which have already been squeezed by inflation and past budget cuts. Hanna Ziady, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 But if Christie Dougherty, a teacher, or Joy Frew, a retired government employee, siphon off enough votes, two Republicans could advance to November. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Protect your assets: Best high-yield savings accounts of 2023 Pensions also siphon away money that companies otherwise could use for investments that enhance the bottom line. Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 An entire business model has been built on this: siphoning data off the real-time bidding networks, packaging it up, and reselling it to help businesses understand consumer behavior. Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024 The executive allegedly borrowed money to fund a Kaleidoscope promotional event at the next year’s edition of Coachella, then paid back his debts by siphoning money from Helios & Matheson Analytics through falsified invoices. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 2 Feb. 2024 Algorithmic feeds act like enormous funnels, siphoning users toward an increasingly narrow set of subjects. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024 Supernovae occur in two main ways: One is when a star siphons too much material from a smaller companion star and explodes—this results in a type Ia supernova such as Kepler’s Supernova. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'siphon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French siphon, from Latin siphon-, sipho tube, pipe, siphon, from Greek siphōn

First Known Use

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of siphon was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near siphon

Cite this Entry

“Siphon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siphon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

siphon

1 of 2 noun
si·​phon
variants also syphon
ˈsī-fən
1
: a bent tube through which a liquid can be drawn by means of air pressure up and over the edge of one container and into another container at a lower level
2
: any of various tube-shaped organs in animals and especially mollusks that are used to draw in or pass off fluids

siphon

2 of 2 verb
variants also syphon
siphoned also syphoned; siphoning also syphoning
ˈsīf-(ə-)niŋ
: to draw off or pass off by or as if by a siphon
siphoned off money for a vacation

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