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 WebElizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Sunlight drenches one of the organization’s water trucks.
—Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Off the lobby, the elevator vestibule is drenched in a buzzy hot pink neon light.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
Then the pandemic drenched the hospitality business in chaos.
—Laura Ness, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
In the northeast, heavy rainfall drenched cities from Baltimore to Boston, bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain over the weekend.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2024
Our new home was an Art Deco flat in East Hollywood, drenched in colored lights and paper lanterns.
—Nadeen Currie, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
My mom always emphasized the role of food: some dishes, like pork trotters with peanuts or ginger chicken drenched in sesame oil, are said to repair the uterus.
—Clarissa Wei, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2024
By Mary Gilbert | CNN Meteorologist California will soon be decorated with a rainbow of wildflowers after drenching winter rain set the stage for a spectacular spring superbloom.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2024
Use this deep shade as an all-over wall color that makes a stylish statement, on kitchen cabinets paired with brass hardware for a modern look, or to color drench a room for a moody coziness.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2023
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
Verb
By Friday, the bulk of the severe storms will have moved off the coast, but there will still be some risk of flooding in parts of northern New England as drenching storms shift through the Great Lakes and interior Northeast.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Sunlight drenches one of the organization’s water trucks.
—Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Off the lobby, the elevator vestibule is drenched in a buzzy hot pink neon light.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
Then the pandemic drenched the hospitality business in chaos.
—Laura Ness, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
In the northeast, heavy rainfall drenched cities from Baltimore to Boston, bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain over the weekend.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2024
Our new home was an Art Deco flat in East Hollywood, drenched in colored lights and paper lanterns.
—Nadeen Currie, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
My mom always emphasized the role of food: some dishes, like pork trotters with peanuts or ginger chicken drenched in sesame oil, are said to repair the uterus.
—Clarissa Wei, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2024
By Mary Gilbert | CNN Meteorologist California will soon be decorated with a rainbow of wildflowers after drenching winter rain set the stage for a spectacular spring superbloom.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
This can be done by using a systemic insecticide through a soil drench.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2024
Use this deep shade as an all-over wall color that makes a stylish statement, on kitchen cabinets paired with brass hardware for a modern look, or to color drench a room for a moody coziness.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2023
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
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 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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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