drown

play

verb \ˈdrau̇n\

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
1a : to suffocate by submersion especially in waterb : to submerge especially by a rise in the water level villages drowned by the flooding riverc : 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 liquorb : 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

The riotous hoots of nearby youngsters threatened to drown out his comments, but Mark Lee was unfazed.

— ruth la ferla, New York Times, "Mark Lee: Swapping Slingbacks for Social Justice", 2 June 2017
Park rangers report that an 18-year-old visitor drowned Friday afternoon while swimming with friends at the Little River Canyon National Preserve near Fort Payne.

— dennis pillion, AL.com, "18-year-old drowns at Little River Canyon Falls", 2 June 2017
Most drowning deaths for young U.S. children occur in home swimming pools.

— katy moeller, idahostatesman, "Drowning can be quiet, quick, as Boise child’s death shows", 2 June 2017
If the United States pulled out, what would be the message to countries in Africa that could suffer most from global warming and nations like Fiji that are drowning under rising sea levels?

— philip rucker, Washington Post, "Inside Trump’s climate decision: After fiery debate, he ‘stayed where he’s always been’", 1 June 2017
Brendan’s brain showed an abnormality consistent with oxygen deprivation that can be caused by asphyxiation, drowning or strangulation, but it couldn’t be determined which of those led to his death.

— the associated press, The Seattle Times, "Mistrial in case against dad accused in 3-year-old’s death", 31 May 2017
Since the GLSRP started tracking deaths in 2010, 554 people have drowned in the Great Lakes.

— samantha j. gross, chicagotribune.com, "Lake brings beauty, danger to summer season", 29 May 2017
The best reports show at least 110 died of disease, 24 were killed in action, 13 died of wounds, one drowned in the Mississippi and one was accidentally shot, and more than 500 Civil War veterans are buried in Porter County, Pazour said.

— james d. wolf jr., Post-Tribune, "Civil War part of Porter County remembrance", 29 May 2017
But whatever few complaints there were vanished in the hip-hop beats emanating from bars on Ocean Drive, occasionally drowned out by the deafening boom of military aircraft flying overhead just off the shore of South Beach.

— joey flechas, martin vassolo and glenn garvin, miamiherald, "Big crowds, little trouble as Miami Beach hosts both an air show and Urban Beach Week", 28 May 2017

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

First Known Use: 14th century

DROWN Defined for English Language Learners

drown

play

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

play

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

play

verb \ˈdrau̇n\

Medical Definition of drown

drowned

\ˈdrau̇nd\play

drowning

\ˈdrau̇-niŋ\play

1
intransitive verb

: 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