drown
verb
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drowning\ˈdrau̇-niŋ
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Definition of drown
: to become drowned fell in the river and drowned chicken drowning in barbecue sauce drowning in paperwork
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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for drown
Synonyms
bathe, bedraggle, douse (also dowse), drench, soak, sop, souse, wash, water, water-soak, waterlog, wet, wet down
Antonyms
dehydrate, desiccate, dry, parch, scorch, sear
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Examples of drown in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Edinburgh, a police helicopter almost drowned out the chants of the protesters, who plan to launch into the sky the giant ‘‘Baby Donald’’ balloon — depicting the president as an angry orange baby. — Paul Kelbie, BostonGlobe.com, "10,000 protesters opposing Trump march through Scottish capital," 14 July 2018 To drown the flames, someone needed to open the barn-like center doors so firefighters could spray in water from a distance. — Mike Hendricks, kansascity, "In a tragic loop, firefighters continue to die from preventable mistakes," 13 July 2018 Then in 1974, my 2-year-old brother died of measles, and a year later my 5-year-old sister drowned in a river. — Vincent Kituku, idahostatesman, "Investing in the lives of poor children changes the present and the future," 28 June 2018 Witness accounts say the starboard boiler exploded at about 11 p.m., setting off a grisly chain reaction of death that saw people thrown overboard and drowned, scalded to death, and cut by flying debris, according state historians. — Mark Price, charlotteobserver, "The 1838 shipwreck was 'the Titanic of its time.' Divers just made an eerie discovery," 17 June 2018 There are no woods too far out of play to avoid visiting, there is no trickle of a creek too tiny that your ball can’t drown in it. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty blog: A nickname changes nothing about the community. Good luck, Anderson.," 11 June 2018 Emeline drowned in a pool in the neighborhood of Coto de Caza, California, on Sunday, PEOPLE confirms. — Karen Mizoguchi, SI.com, "Olympian Bode Miller's 19-Month-Old Daughter Dies After Drowning in Pool," 11 June 2018 The big annual party, which predates me, is a Labor Day pig roast, when everybody’s friends and friends of friends cover the lawn in a patchwork of picnic blankets, bring side dishes or desserts, and make sure their kids don’t drown in the pond. — Peter Meehan, Bon Appetit, "Entering a National Barbecue Competition Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time," 4 June 2018 The employees of companies like Bird, which is drowning in venture capital money and is reportedly worth $1 billion. — Alex Davies, WIRED, "Save the Scooters, Redesign the Streets, and Save San Francisco," 4 June 2018These 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.
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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
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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
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drowning\ˈdrau̇-niŋ
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Medical Definition of drown
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)
: to suffocate by submersion especially in water drowned three kittens
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