drench

noun \ ˈdrench \

Definition of drench

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

Recent Examples of drench from the Web

Walls of glass drench the interiors with natural light while providing a sophisticated look throughout the modern home.

— jack flemming, latimes.com, "Architect couple’s nearly net-zero home in Santa Monica lists for $7.4 million," 29 Aug. 2017
While Cindy is forecast to blow maximum sustained winds near 45 mph through Thursday, weather experts and emergency management officials are honing in on the threats posed by a impending drench of rain.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Tropical Storm Cindy forms, will bring drenching rains," 20 June 2017
Trees that are large, in good condition and provide generous canopies may receive trunk injection treatments (the city does not use or permit the more controversial soil drench tactics).

— gary johnson, Twin Cities, "Gary Johnson: It’s not always easy to say goodbye to our ash trees. But it’s necessary.," 7 May 2017

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.

First Known Use of drench

before 12th century

drench

verb

Definition of drench

transitive verb

1 a archaic :to force to drink

b :to administer a drench to (an animal)

2 :to wet thoroughly (as by soaking or immersing in liquid)

3 :to soak or cover thoroughly with liquid that falls or is precipitated

4 :to fill or cover completely as if by soaking or precipitation

was drenched in furs and diamonds
—Richard Brautigan

—

drencher

noun

See drench defined for English-language learners

See drench defined for kids

Examples of drench in a Sentence

we were drenched by the sudden rainstorm
when using the carpet shampooer, wet but do not drench the carpet

Recent Examples of drench from the Web

For visitors, the idea of taking the wheel is daunting; roads are narrow and lined with limestone walls. Plus, drivers in this sun-drenched, densely populated country of 450,000 are known for a somewhat cavalier attitude.

— roy harris, chicagotribune.com, "Malta, the island nation just below Sicily, is an increasingly popular stopover," 28 Aug. 2017
June is thundershower month, and one drenched me on the way to a new midtown place that's more play than work.

— alec scott, latimes.com, "In summer, Toronto the Good becomes Toronto the Even Better, thanks to its many patio drinking and dining options," 13 Aug. 2017
Then, the storms rolled in with heavy rain that drenched the course and forced a rain delay of 1 hour, 43 minutes.

— doug ferguson, courant.com, "Matsuyama, Kisner Tied For Lead At PGA Championship," 12 Aug. 2017
Friday afternoon's rain drenched the fairgrounds causing the evening's tractor pulls to be canceled.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Sellers set a new record for prices at Harford Farm Fair's 4-H livestock sale," 30 July 2017
Drenched in fuel, Gangnuss removed the helicopter door, and began to dig.

— susan keating, PEOPLE.com, "Air Force Colonel Meets Man Who Helped Pull Her From Deadly Helicopter Crash: ‘We’re Friends for Life’," 11 July 2017
The stories are each singular if similarly heartbreaking, full of missed opportunities and regret, drenched in the loneliness of homelessness.

— karissa chen, Longreads, "My Grandfather’s Fateful Goodbye, Reimagined," 8 July 2017
Early in the morning of April 27, just hours before concertgoers began arriving, a downpour drenched the festival site, leaving little but confused staffers and waterlogged tents to greet people.

— bryan burrough, The Hive, "Fyre Festival: Anatomy of a Millennial Marketing Fiasco Waiting to Happen," 4 July 2017
As Stevenson leaves the umpire room, a deluge is drenching the field.

— matthew vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "The man behind one of minor league baseball's nicest fields," 3 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of drench

Middle English, from Old English drencan; akin to Old English drincan to drink

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

drench Synonyms

Synonyms

bathe, bedraggle, douse (also dowse), wet, drown, soak, sodden, sop, souse, wash, water, waterlog, water-soak, wet down

Antonyms

dehydrate, desiccate, dry, parch, scorch, sear

Related Words

asperse, bedew, damp, dampen, drizzle, humidify, hydrate, mist, moisten, moisturize, shower, sprinkle; deluge, flood, hose (down), inundate, overflow; submerge, swamp; splash; impregnate, saturate, steep; flush, irrigate, lave, rinse, slosh, sluice; dip, duck, dunk; rehydrate, rewash, rewet

Near Antonyms

dewater, evaporate, freeze-dry; drip-dry, wring; dehumidify

Synonym Discussion of 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.