drain

play

verb \ˈdrān\

Definition of drain

transitive verb
1 obsolete : filter
2a : to draw off (liquid) gradually or completely drained all the water out of the poolb : to cause the gradual disappearance of drain the region's wealthc : to exhaust (see ¹exhaust 1b) physically or emotionally feeling drained at the end of a long workday
3a : to make gradually dry drain a swampb : to carry away the surface water of the river that drains the valleyc : to deplete or empty by or as if by drawing off by degrees or in increments drained the country of its resourcesd : to empty by drinking the contents of drain a mug of beer
4 sports : drop 7c, sink drain the putt drained two free throws
intransitive verb
1a : to flow off graduallyb : to disappear gradually : dwindle his nervousness drained away, as it always did — H. A. Sinclair
2 : to become emptied or freed of liquid by its flowing or dropping waiting for the tub to drain
3 : to discharge surface or surplus water drains into the Gulf of Mexico

drainer

noun

See drain defined for English-language learners

See drain defined for kids

Examples of drain in a Sentence

Drain the canned tomatoes before adding them to the pot.
The swamp has been drained.
I was waiting for the bathtub to drain.
The river drains into a lake.
Years of civil war have drained the country's resources.
The city's emergency fund has been drained.
I feel totally drained of energy this evening.

Origin and Etymology of drain

Middle English draynen, from Old English drēahnian — more at dry

First Known Use: before 12th century

Synonym Discussion of drain

deplete, drain, exhaust, impoverish, bankrupt mean to deprive of something essential to existence or potency. deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function. depleting our natural resources drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence. personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit exhaust stresses a complete emptying. her lecture exhausted the subject impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness. impoverished soil bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse. war had bankrupted the nation of resources

drain

noun

Definition of drain

1 : a means (such as a pipe) by which usually liquid matter is drained
2a : the act of drainingb : a gradual outflow or withdrawal : depletion a net drain from the East of five million souls — G. W. Pierson
3 : something that causes depletion : burden a drain on the city's resources
4 electronics : an electrode in a field-effect transistor toward which charge carriers move — compare gate, source

down the drain

: to a state of being wasted or irretrievably lost All their hard work went down the drain.

See drain defined for English-language learners

Examples of drain in a Sentence

The drain in the bathtub is blocked.

Origin and Etymology of drain

see ¹drain

First Known Use: 1552

DRAIN Defined for English Language Learners

drain

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verb

Definition of drain for English Language Learners

: to remove (liquid) from something by letting it flow away or out
of a container : to become empty of a liquid
of a liquid : to flow into, away from, or out of something

drain

noun

Definition of drain for English Language Learners

: something (such as a pipe) that is used for removing a liquid from a place or container
: something that uses a lot of time, money, etc.

DRAIN Defined for Kids

drain

play

verb \ˈdrān\

Definition of drain for Students

drained

;

draining

1 : to remove (liquid) from something by letting it flow away or out We need to drain water from the pool.
2 : to slowly make or become dry or empty drain a swamp
3 : to flow into, away from, or out of something The water slowly drained.
4 : to slowly disappear All the joy of the music drained out of him. — Mary Pope Osborne, Christmas in Camelot
5 : to tire out She was drained by the busy weekend.

drain

play

noun

Definition of drain for Students

1 : something used to remove a liquid the tub's drain
2 : something that slowly empties of or uses up The long trip was a drain on Grandma's strength.

Medical Dictionary

drain

play

verb \ˈdrān\

Medical Definition of drain

1a: to draw off (liquid) gradually or completely drain pus from an abscessb: to exhaust physically or emotionally
2: to carry away or give passage to a bodily fluid or a discharge from drain an abscess the eustachian tube drains the middle ear—H. G. Armstrong
intransitive verb