drain

verb

\ ˈdrān

drained; draining; drains

Definition of drain

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 obsolete : filter

2a : to draw off (liquid) gradually or completely drained all the water out of the pool

b : to cause the gradual disappearance of drain the region's wealth

c : to exhaust (see exhaust entry 1 sense 1b) physically or emotionally feeling drained at the end of a long workday

3a : to make gradually dry drain a swamp

b : to carry away the surface water of the river that drains the valley

c : to deplete or empty by or as if by drawing off by degrees or in increments drained the country of its resources

d : to empty by drinking the contents of drain a mug of beer

4 sports : drop sense 7c, sink drain the putt drained two free throws

intransitive verb

1a : to flow off gradually

b : 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

drain

noun

Definition of drain (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a means (such as a pipe) by which usually liquid matter is drained

2a : the act of draining

b : 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.

Other Words from drain Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about drain

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Synonyms & Antonyms for drain

Synonyms: Verb

bleed, draft, draw (off), pump, siphon (also syphon), tap

Antonyms: Verb

fill

Choose the Right Synonym for drain

Verb

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

Examples of drain in a Sentence

Verb

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.

Noun

The drain in the bathtub is blocked.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

While my friends spoke to their families often — in quick bursts of 10- to 15-minute check-ins — my Sundays involved marathon discussions with my mother, which were always negative and emotionally draining. — Good Housekeeping, "My Parents Haven't Spoken to Me in 13 Years," 21 Dec. 2018 Rub chicken with remaining Tbsp oil, season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, bone side up first, until browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes; drain excess fat. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Creamy Thyme Chicken with Sautéed Apples and Mushrooms," 9 Oct. 2018 Now, thankfully, Target just made it even easier to fill an entire cart without draining your bank account, with a new in-house brand called Smartly, which features 70 personal-care items, most of which are under $2. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Target Launches Smartly, an Affordable In-House Brand With 70 Personal-Care Products," 8 Oct. 2018 Certainly playing a game or a video encode, or anything that works the GPU or CPU cores hard will drain the battery faster, but video playback is actually among the easiest chores a laptop can do today. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Dell XPS 13 vs. Dell XPS 15: Which should you buy?," 11 Sep. 2018 Needless to say, this immune response can leave you feeling drained, shaky, confused, and weak, reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. — Amy Capetta, Redbook, "6 Signs of UTI That You'll Hopefully Never Experience," 6 Aug. 2018 An iPad rests beside him next to a cup that has been drained of coffee. — Sam Tanenhaus, Town & Country, "Can Chris Whittle Launch a Truly Global School?," 10 July 2018 But regulators will want to cap CDRs for fear that cash will be drained from the rest of the market. — The Economist, "China tries to lure its tech firms into listing at home," 10 May 2018 Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain pasta and return to pot. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Pasta with Red Pepper Alfredo," 21 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The cash drain from these enormous debts may have exacerbated the decline in output, and there is scant chance that China’s latest infusion will do much to arrest the fall. — Spencer Jakab, WSJ, "How Venezuela Became China’s Money Pit," 15 July 2018 Hartzer advises using a bottle of foaming drain cleaner to flush out the pipes, but the fix might take a little more work than that. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Rid of Those Pesky Gnats Plaguing Your Kitchen," 8 May 2018 But the pesky metal drain was no match for the royal, who is used to navigating rough terrain in her heels. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "Kate Middleton Got Her Heel Stuck in a Grate This Morning, Handled It with Perfect Grace," 7 Feb. 2018 Reserve ¾ cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Creamy Broccolini Pasta with Chile Breadcrumbs," 19 Dec. 2018 Doing this many times a day for three or four days might help a smaller abscess rupture and drain. — Isadora Baum, SELF, "8 Reasons Your Vulva or Vagina Might Get All Swollen," 30 Nov. 2018 The vortex lasted for days, large enough to swallow full-sized boats, so concerned lake officials immediately posted signs and buoys to keep visitors from getting sucked down the drain like a rubber duckie. — Ken Jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "This Texas Lake Developed a Boat-Swallowing Whirlpool," 3 Sep. 2018 Fixing a clogged drain in your shower is never an easy (or fun) process. — Katina Beniaris, Country Living, "This Hair-Catching Tool With Thousands of Five-Star Reviews Is On Sale Today," 10 Aug. 2018 Promises for million-dollar condos and more anchor tenants at Westgate went down the drain. — Jen Fifield, azcentral, "GoDaddy founder, who 'doesn't do anything small,' buys Westgate district in Glendale," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.