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
The rest of the album was on the same level, drenched in Eighties Euro-sleaze and moody woke-up-on-a-beach yearning. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024 Over the years, Kranz has become less inclined to take roles that involve getting drenched in fake blood and gore. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
That involves applying a soil drench of Imidacloprid systemic insecticide in mid-May. Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 July 2024 Significant flood risk Thursday Considerable flooding is likely across the southern Florida Peninsula on Thursday and Friday as multiple rounds of torrential downpours fueled by a firehose of tropical moisture from parts of the Caribbean drench the area. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 13 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for drench 

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 31 Oct. 2024.

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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