drown

verb

Save Word

\ ˈdrau̇n

drowned\ ˈdrau̇nd

\; drowning\ ˈdrau̇-niŋ

Definition of drown

intransitive verb

: to become drowned fell in the river and drowned chicken drowning in barbecue sauce drowning in paperwork

transitive verb

1a : 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

4a : to drive out (something, such as a sensation or an idea) drowned his sorrows in liquor

b : overwhelm was drowned in homework

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About drown

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for drown

Synonyms

Antonyms

drain

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 on the Web An unabashed come-on and a fanged kiss-off, this is the artist at her most stripped-down and defiant, ready to drown out the noise and let the work speak for itself. — Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2021 Patton, 33, died Aug. 1 and before the month's end, Jeremy Skittrall, 45, would also drown at Geist. — Lilly St. Angelo, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Sep. 2021 The eMeet Nova Webcam with Microphone will drown out the sound around you. — Chris Hachey, BGR, 1 Sep. 2021 Walker is the fourth person to drown at Racine County beaches at Lake Michigan this summer, said Sgt. — Carma Hassan, CNN, 24 Aug. 2021 If the Empire can drown out the crowd, and keep their gameplay at a high level, nothing else should matter. — Sean Collins, Dallas News, 20 Aug. 2021 People who drown in the Rio Grande and wash up on the Mexican shore are also not included in these statistics. — Jasmine Aguilera, Time, 20 Aug. 2021 People flood out of the city’s stadiums as baseball games let out, fans searching for a drink either to celebrate the win or drown the loss. — New York Times, 8 Aug. 2021 As the teams took the field, bar-goers got ready to toast the goals, drown the losses and drink to everything in between. — Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2021

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More About drown

Dictionary Entries Near drown

drow

drown

drownd

Statistics for drown

Last Updated

13 Sep 2021

Cite this Entry

“Drown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drown. Accessed 19 Sep. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for drown

drown

verb

English Language Learners Definition of drown

: 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

See the full definition for drown in the English Language Learners Dictionary

drown

verb

\ ˈdrau̇n

drowned; drowning

Kids Definition of drown

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

drown

verb

\ ˈdrau̇n

drowned\ ˈdrau̇nd

\; drowning\ ˈdrau̇-niŋ

Medical Definition of drown

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 drowned three kittens