soak

verb \ ˈsōk \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of soak

intransitive verb

1 : to lie immersed in liquid (such as water) : become saturated by or as if by immersion

2 a : to enter or pass through something by or as if by pores or interstices : permeate

b : to penetrate or affect the mind or feelings —usually used with in or into

3 : to drink alcoholic beverages intemperately

transitive verb

1 : to permeate so as to wet, soften, or fill thoroughly

2 : to place in a surrounding element (such as liquid) to wet or permeate thoroughly

3 : to extract by or as if by steeping

soak the dirt out

4 a : to draw or take in by or as if by suction or absorption

soaked up the sunshine

b : to intoxicate (oneself) by drinking alcoholic beverages

5 : to cause to pay an exorbitant amount

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soaker

noun

See soak defined for English-language learners

See soak defined for kids

Examples of soak in a Sentence

You should soak those dirty clothes before you wash them.
The beans soaked in water overnight.
He relaxed and soaked in the tub.
After planting the seeds, soak the soil.
She soaked the dog with the hose.
His shirt was soaked with sweat.
I was soaked by the rain.
The oil soaked into the wood.
Sweat soaked through his shirt.
Rain soaked through her jacket.

Recent Examples of soak from the Web

That Google soaks up all that information may strike some as creepy.

— jessica guynn, USA TODAY, "Google I/O: Google vows to wean you off the device addiction it helped encourage," 8 May 2018
An impromptu parade starts with a piper, two drummers and a young man with a blood-soaked, bandaged head holding a flag as tattered and forlorn as its carrier.

— steve west, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Innocence lost, power found | Opinion," 8 May 2018
The home side soaked up the pressure well, and attempted to catch Spurs out on the counter attack.

— SI.com, "West Brom 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Late Jake Livermore Goal Seals Vital Win for Baggies," 5 May 2018
Allow marinade to soak into the chicken for at least 10 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken," 2 May 2018
The inside of the van was splattered with blood, and a chainsaw and jigsaw were soaking in water.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Lynching 2.0: White Family Charged With Murdering 2 Black Men, Dismembering Bodies," 2 May 2018
With the sun shining on the Arctic again, the open ocean is soaking up heat that could set up another delayed freeze-up again next fall.

— andrea thompson, Scientific American, "Shock and Thaw—Alaskan Sea Ice Just Took a Steep, Unprecedented Dive," 2 May 2018
But taking the time to make a recipe that takes hours of soaking, setting, and fermenting is fabulous for anxiety.

— sophie lucido johnson, Bon Appetit, "How Many Cashews Does It Take to Cure My Anxiety?," 2 May 2018
Properly done, those two activities alone can pretty much soak up an entire day.

— chris erskine, latimes.com, "It's just an old oak chest, too heavy and in need of some TLC. Aren't we all?," 27 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of soak

Middle English soken, from Old English socian; akin to Old English sūcan to suck

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

soak Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of soak

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.

- steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

- a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

soak

noun

Definition of soak

1 a : the act or process of soaking : the state of being soaked

b : the liquid in which something is soaked

2 : drunkard

3 slang : ²pawn 2

See soak defined for English-language learners

Examples of soak in a Sentence

I had a long, hot soak in the tub.
felt sorry for the town soak, who couldn't hold a job

Recent Examples of soak from the Web

But this one doesn't include drinking a glass of wine, taking a long soak in the bath and applying a facial mask.

— christina hall, ajc, "Rats can't resist wiring in newer cars: Here's why," 8 May 2018
This set comes with a detoxifying bath soak made with pink Himalayan and dead sea salts, rose petals, eucalyptus and lavender essential oils, plus an herbal black tea, an all-natural soy candle and a lavender body and room spray.

— NBC News, "10 last-minute Mother's Day gift ideas," 8 May 2018
Their products include balm, bath soak and sipping chocolate.

— steve kurtz, Fox News, "HIGH TIMES FOR POT PROFIT SEEKERS," 8 May 2018
But this one doesn't include drinking a glass of wine, taking a long soak in the bath and applying a facial mask.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Rats can't resist wiring in newer cars: Here's why," 7 May 2018
True luxury is leaving the court and heading straight for your own en-suite bath for a soak and into your cavernous walk-in closet to get changed.

— shannon rooney, Philly.com, "Game, set, match: Three Philly suburban estates with private tennis courts," 2 May 2018
After the meal, many of the guests and staff meet at the irori hearth to drink warm sake, or head downstairs to the rustic, cave-like onsen for a pre-bedtime soak.

— jo rodgers, Vogue, "Cherry Blossoms and Beyond: Go on a Nature Meditation in Japan," 29 Apr. 2018
Cloud Vapor Lounge in Logan Square offers a CBD bath soak for $21 and a CBD body wash for $30.

— melanie laforce, Chicago Reader, "Here’s what happened when I took a weed bath," 19 Apr. 2018
But Goop reassures that using these soaks is better than other harsh sudsy products.

— shannon barbour, The Cut, "Gwyneth Paltrow Wants Us to Take $10 Baths Every Night," 29 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of soak

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SOAK Defined for English Language Learners

soak

verb

Definition of soak for English Language Learners

: to put (something) in a liquid for a period of time
: to take a long bath
: to make (someone or something) very wet with water or another liquid

soak

noun

Definition of soak for English Language Learners

: an act of letting something stay in a liquid for a long time in order to soften or clean it
: a long bath

SOAK Defined for Kids

soak

verb \ ˈsōk \

Definition of soak for Students

soaked; soaking

1 : to lie covered with liquid

He soaked in the tub.

2 : to place in a liquid to wet or as if to wet thoroughly

Soak the beans in water.

3 : to make very wet

The rain soaked us.

4 : to enter or pass through something by or as if by tiny holes : permeate

The water soaked into the ground.

5 : to draw in by or as if by absorption The rag soaked up the spill.

She soaked up the sunshine.

soak

noun

Definition of soak for Students

1 : the act or process of letting something stay in a liquid for a long time to soften or clean it

2 : a long bath

Medical Dictionary

soak

noun \ ˈsōk \

medical Definition of soak

: an often hot medicated solution with which a body part is soaked usually long or repeatedly especially to promote healing, relieve pain, or stimulate local circulation