drench

verb

\ ˈdrench

drenched; drenching; drenches

Definition of drench

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 diamonds— Richard Brautigan

4a : to administer a drench to (an animal)

b archaic : to force to drink

drench

noun

Definition of drench (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a poisonous or medicinal drink specifically : a large dose of medicine mixed with liquid and put down the throat of an animal

2a : something that drenches

b : a quantity sufficient to drench or saturate

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

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Choose the Right Synonym for drench

Verb

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

Verdant greens and deep fuchsias drenched the Conservatory grounds. — Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, "The New York Botanical Garden Celebrates its Roberto Burle Marx Show With a Jungly Garden Party," 12 June 2019 Director Jean-Marc Vallee drenched the story in Monterey atmosphere, a heady mix of beachy allure, social satire and tragedy. — oregonlive.com, "‘Big Little Lies’ returns: Meryl Streep and a superb cast make Season 2 deliciously watchable," 5 June 2019 The flooding unfolded just as forecasters predicted and more is expected as Florence makes its way slowly north, bringing with it more water to already drenched areas. — Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Fox News, "Florence dropped an estimated 8 trillion gallons of rain over North Carolina," 18 Sep. 2018 After Hurricane Irma drenched Miami in September 2017, Mr. Clarkson, 71, helped found Konscious Kontractors, a collective that provides free cleanup and repairs to needy residents. — Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, "Democrats Will Debate in a City Under Siege by Climate Change," 24 June 2019 And there will likely be little relief for those drenched by the recent weather over the next few weeks. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "The severe floods soaking the Midwest and Southeast are not letting up," 11 June 2019 The film opens with what could have been the most catastrophic moment: the storm that blew in on Sunday, drenching the 450,000 festival-goers and reducing the fields to puddles of mud. — Katie Walsh, latimes.com, "Review: ‘Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Nation’ recalls the love and the mud," 6 June 2019 Rain fell in sheets over the practice field, drenching players and making even the simplest plays difficult to execute. — Christian Simmons, sun-sentinel.com, "Dolphins undrafted rookie receiver Preston Williams continues to impress," 6 June 2019 The film opens with what could have been the most catastrophic moment: the storm that blew in on Sunday, drenching the 450,000 festival-goers and reducing the fields to puddles of mud. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘Woodstock’ recalls the love and the mud," 6 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Some can be applied as a spray and others a drench on the soil. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "Divide amaryllis bulbs at any time — but fall might be best," 15 June 2019 The third choice is to use a liquid spray or drench to kill the plant. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s what’s eating your currant bushes and ‘spitting’ on your wild roses," 13 July 2018 That’s the point of this ancient and joyous Armenian custom: to get drenched and, in turn, drench as many people as possible. — Cristela Guerra, BostonGlobe.com, "Ancient Armenian water celebration comes to Watertown," 9 July 2018 To keep crape myrtle scale under control apply Imidacloprid systemic insecticide as a soil drench in mid-to-late May (or now). — Neil Sperry, star-telegram, "The crape myrtle: Facts on the finest flowering shrub in the south," 21 June 2018 Rain is forecast from dawn until dusk in London on the biggest street party day, Sunday, almost certainly resulting in a quintessentially British drench-fest. — Graham Smith, Time, "Harry and Meghan's Wedding Is a Reminder That Britain Doesn't Need the Royals," 18 May 2018 More watery fun can be found just steps away at Splashaway Bay, a kiddie aqua park with smaller slides, water cannons, a multi-platform jungle gym and a gigantic drench bucket. — Gene Sloan, USA TODAY, "Five things to love about Royal Caribbean's new Symphony of the Seas," 4 Apr. 2018 More than 212,000 people have fled fighting around Idlib in the past month, many of them sleeping in the open as temperatures plunge and rain drenches makeshift campsites, according to the United Nations. — Washington Post, "Turkey launches airstrikes in Syria against U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters," 21 Jan. 2018 By Monday, though, the fire hose could swing south and drench communities north of Seattle, according to the National Weather Service. — Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times, "Sick of rain? Sorry, there’s more in the pipeline," 27 Jan. 2018

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