drenched; drenching; drenches
1
: to wet thoroughly (as by soaking or immersing in liquid)
2
: to soak or cover thoroughly with liquid that falls or is precipitated
3
: to fill or cover completely as if by soaking or precipitation
was drenched in furs and diamonds—
Richard Brautigan
Richard Brautigan4
a
: to administer a drench to (an animal)
b
archaic
: to force to drink
drencher
noun
1
: a poisonous or medicinal drink
specifically
: a large dose of medicine mixed with liquid and put down the throat of an animal
2
a
: something that drenches
b
: a quantity sufficient to drench or saturate
Synonyms
Examples of drench in a Sentence
Verb
we were drenched by the sudden rainstorm
when using the carpet shampooer, wet but do not drench the carpet
Recent Examples on the WebWSJ, 18 Sep. 2023
What are the benefits of color drenching in your home?
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 Sep. 2023
The cover art is a throwback photo of Halle Berry drenched in green slime at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2012.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 14 Sep. 2023
Doja Cat performed accompanied by a troupe of dancers drenched in fake blood.
—Meredith Woerner, Variety, 12 Sep. 2023
Billions of years of evolution have shifted the Earth from a carbon-rich atmosphere to one drenched in oxygen.
—David Ewing Duncan, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
Around the same time downpours drenched Burning Man, torrential rain also brought flooding to Las Vegas, which has received 2.55 inches of rain during the monsoon season, the 11th-most on record.
—Dino Grandoni and Kim Bellware, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
Around a dozen people had to be rescued last month near Mission Valley when Tropical Storm Hilary drenched tents and walkways.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2023
On some hot days, Dunn can’t cook in the kitchen without becoming drenched with sweat.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 24 Aug. 2023
Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2023
For fire ants, apply beneficial nematodes and drench with one of the orange oil mound drench products or spinosad products.
—Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 28 June 2021
Just minutes from the magic, families can chill out at Surfside Waterpark and enjoy its 400-gallon drench bucket, slides, and an oversized 17-person hot tub.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2023
Water drench appropriately describes what these eye masks do to your under eyes.
—Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 28 Jan. 2023
The gooey grime changes and shifts throughout as precipitation and bombing fallout drench the settings in various sequences — to say nothing of the ghastly effects of war on the human body, depicted with unflinching detail and fidelity.
—Partner Content, Variety, 29 Dec. 2022
It’s the perfect wash to pop in your gym bag for cleansing after even the most drench-inducing workouts.
—Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Sep. 2022
Gone, of course, were the aerial rope tricks and getting drench while singing in a waterfall.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 May 2022
The final step is giving your repotted orchid a good drench.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2022
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Verb
For Ukrainian soldiers struggling to make headway against entrenched Russian troops, the counteroffensive is taking on a new urgency as summer gives way to shorter days, drenching rain and then snow.
—WSJ, 18 Sep. 2023
What are the benefits of color drenching in your home?
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 Sep. 2023
The cover art is a throwback photo of Halle Berry drenched in green slime at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2012.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 14 Sep. 2023
Doja Cat performed accompanied by a troupe of dancers drenched in fake blood.
—Meredith Woerner, Variety, 12 Sep. 2023
Billions of years of evolution have shifted the Earth from a carbon-rich atmosphere to one drenched in oxygen.
—David Ewing Duncan, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
Around the same time downpours drenched Burning Man, torrential rain also brought flooding to Las Vegas, which has received 2.55 inches of rain during the monsoon season, the 11th-most on record.
—Dino Grandoni and Kim Bellware, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
Around a dozen people had to be rescued last month near Mission Valley when Tropical Storm Hilary drenched tents and walkways.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2023
On some hot days, Dunn can’t cook in the kitchen without becoming drenched with sweat.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 24 Aug. 2023
Noun
The easiest way is to apply a systemic insecticide as a soil drench.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2023
For fire ants, apply beneficial nematodes and drench with one of the orange oil mound drench products or spinosad products.
—Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 28 June 2021
Just minutes from the magic, families can chill out at Surfside Waterpark and enjoy its 400-gallon drench bucket, slides, and an oversized 17-person hot tub.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2023
Water drench appropriately describes what these eye masks do to your under eyes.
—Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 28 Jan. 2023
The gooey grime changes and shifts throughout as precipitation and bombing fallout drench the settings in various sequences — to say nothing of the ghastly effects of war on the human body, depicted with unflinching detail and fidelity.
—Partner Content, Variety, 29 Dec. 2022
It’s the perfect wash to pop in your gym bag for cleansing after even the most drench-inducing workouts.
—Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Sep. 2022
Gone, of course, were the aerial rope tricks and getting drench while singing in a waterfall.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 May 2022
The final step is giving your repotted orchid a good drench.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drench.' 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
Verb
Middle English, from Old English drencan; akin to Old English drincan to drink
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4b
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of drench was
before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near drench
Cite this Entry
“Drench.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drench. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
drench
verbˈdrench
: to wet thoroughly
Medical Definition
drench
1 of 2 noun
: a poisonous or medicinal drink
specifically
: a large dose of medicine mixed with liquid and put down the throat of an animal
drench
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to administer a drench to (an animal)
More from Merriam-Webster on drench
Nglish: Translation of drench for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of drench for Arabic Speakers
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