drench

1 of 2

verb

drenched; drenching; drenches

transitive verb

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 diamondsRichard Brautigan
4
a
: to administer a drench to (an animal)
b
archaic : to force to drink
drencher noun

drench

2 of 2

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
Choose the Right Synonym for drench

soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid.

soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

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 Web
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 See More

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.

Kids Definition

drench

verb
ˈdrench
: 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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