drown

verb \ ˈdrau̇n \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of drown

drowned play \ˈdrau̇nd\; drowning play \ˈdrau̇-niŋ\

intransitive verb

: to become drowned

fell in the river and drowned

chicken drowning in barbecue sauce

drowning in paperwork

transitive verb

1 a : to suffocate by submersion especially in water

b : to submerge especially by a rise in the water level

villages drowned by the flooding river

c : to soak, drench, or cover with a liquid

drowns her French fries in ketchup

2 : to engage (oneself) deeply and strenuously

drowned himself in work

3 : to cause (a sound) not to be heard by making a loud noise —usually used with out

turned up the radio to drown out the noise

4 a : to drive out (something, such as a sensation or an idea)

drowned his sorrows in liquor

b : overwhelm

was drowned in homework

See drown defined for English-language learners

See drown defined for kids

Examples of drown in a Sentence

Four people drowned in the flood.
She fell in the river and drowned.
She claims that he tried to drown her.
He tried to drown himself.
The river overflowed, drowning whole villages.
The food was drowned in sauce.
The loud music drowned the sound of their conversation.

Recent Examples of drown from the Web

And sadly, that vacuum in moral leadership means that the better angels of our nature are being drown out by our demons.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Joking about John McCain's death is our terrible new normal," 11 May 2018
Kim and Trump exchanged insults and threats of nuclear annihilation, drowning out Moon's repeated calls for diplomacy.

— kim tong-hyung, Fox News, "Moon shines as he drives diplomacy with Pyongyang," 11 May 2018
Kim and Trump exchanged insults and threats of nuclear annihilation, drowning out Moon’s repeated calls for diplomacy.

— Washington Post, "Moon shines as he drives diplomacy with Pyongyang," 11 May 2018
When a crucial and surprising bit of information about Jack is disclosed, the audience at my screening erupted in sustained laughter that drowned out the dialogue onscreen for almost a full minute.

— ben falcone, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Life of the Party,’ Melissa McCarthy Goes to College," 10 May 2018
Later, with a police helicopter flying overhead that drowned out the sound of the demonstrators, phalanxes of officers moved through the crowd forcing them to disperse or face arrest.

— jake rudnitsky, Bloomberg.com, "Russia Detains Navalny, Hundreds at ‘Tsar’ Inauguration Protests," 5 May 2018
Sounds found in nature, like moving water [1], can be particularly helpful for drowning out disruptions.

— john medina and, WSJ, "How Neuroscience Is Optimizing the Office," 1 May 2018
Fan boos drown out Roger Goodell at NFL Draft Any team looking for a speedy playmaker can fill that need with Kirk.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "Where are the Big 12 players in the NFL Draft? | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 27 Apr. 2018
According to a Milwaukee Journal article, his landing at the Green Bay airport was arduous when war protesters greeted him and drowned out his remarks shortly after landing.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 times the presidency and Wisconsin sports scene connected," 26 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of drown

Middle English drounen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

drown Synonyms

DROWN Defined for English Language Learners

drown

verb

Definition of drown for English Language Learners

: to die by being underwater too long and unable to breathe
: to hold (a person or animal) underwater until death occurs
: to cover (something) completely with a liquid

DROWN Defined for Kids

drown

verb \ ˈdrau̇n \

Definition of drown for Students

drowned; drowning

1 : to die or cause to die from being underwater and unable to breathe

2 : to cover with a liquid

She drowns her salad with dressing.

3 : to overpower especially with noise

4 : to make helpless or overwhelmed

drowning in work

Medical Dictionary

drown

verb \ ˈdrau̇n \

medical Definition of drown

drowned play \ˈdrau̇nd\; drowning play \ˈdrau̇-niŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to suffocate in water or some other liquid

2 : to suffocate because of excess of body fluid that interferes with the passage of oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues (as in pulmonary edema)

transitive verb

: to suffocate by submersion especially in water