soak

play

verb \ ˈsōk \

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

Each bungalow provides two outdoor living areas, one for sunning and one for dining, soaking tubs built for two, and glorious views of Mount Otemanu at every turn.

— barbara noe kennedy, chicagotribune.com, "The tropical overwater bungalow turns 50," 30 Aug. 2017
By the time the deluge tapers off—by Wednesday morning, forecasters hope—some areas in the region will have been soaked with 50 inches of rain since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday.

— adrienne lafrance, The Atlantic, "The Latest on Hurricane Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
On Tuesday, Mumbai, the sprawling financial capital, was soaked to the bone.

— jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer," 29 Aug. 2017
Oteh then alleges that Masters put something in the bin later on the flight ... and when the bin was opened later by airport workers (because Oteh didn't want to interact with Masters again), the dress was reportedly soaked through with red wine.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "This Woman's Suing American Airlines for $3.4 Million Over a Ruined Wedding Dress," 18 Aug. 2017
Swing by starting at noon on weekends to soak up some sun.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 9 Best Rooftop Bars in LA," 15 Aug. 2017
They were made by burning hardwood trees and soaking the ashes.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "What the First Three Patents Say About Early America," 31 July 2017
Nancy Silverton’s pane bianco is there to soak up all the drippings.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Which means that, if the White House is to stick by its official (profoundly regressive) priorities, then their actual plan is going to have to soak the non-rich a bit more.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Tax Plan Would Be Bad for Those Who Don’t Own Yachts, Study Basically Finds," 12 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

soak Synonyms

Synonyms

drench, drown, impregnate, macerate, saturate, sodden, sop, souse, steep

Antonyms

wring (out)

Related Words

waterlog, water-soak; marinate, seethe; presoak; dip, immerse, inundate, submerge, swamp; bathe, douse (also dowse), hydrate, swill, wash, water; infiltrate, penetrate, permeate; damp, dampen, humidify, moisten

Near Antonyms

dehydrate, desiccate, dry, parch, sear; drain, empty, void; dehumidify

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

The total value of Swift's not-so-casual soak is actually estimated to be a cool $10 million.

— halie lesavage, Glamour, "Taylor Swift Reportedly Lounged in $10 Million Worth of Diamonds in the 'Look What You Made Me Do' Video," 30 Aug. 2017
Bannon had been pushing for Trump to back a soak-the-rich tax plan that would jack up the top rate on upper-income earners to pay for deep cuts for everybody else.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Here's how Louise Linton could change the tax debate," 23 Aug. 2017
Even in summer, Iceland offers snowmobile trips and hiking on glaciers, kayaking outings in majestic fjords and warming soaks in geothermal pools.

— star-telegram, "Where Cool is Hot: Cool destinations are the hottest trend this summer," 5 July 2017
Harlan and Sidney Tougaw – married 47 years – soak in all things baseball.

— joe davidson, sacbee, "Bumgarner delights Sacramento fans, even though Giants ace wasn’t supposed to be here," 30 June 2017
There’s a loft on the bedroom level, along with an upstairs laundry, and a master with extended vanity, two sinks, semi-frameless shower and a soak tub.

— mark samuelson, The Denver Post, "Ponderosa Ridge has third-acre sites and a good neighborhood vibe, but final homes are disappearing," 16 June 2017
Soak in local history at the Royal B.C. Museum Discover authentic artifacts and specimens from distant times and places displayed in the museum’s interactive exhibits.

— clipper vacations, The Seattle Times, "10 things to do on a Victoria, BC summer getaway," 12 June 2017
Venus in Taurus asks us to delight in the small pleasures as well, so take some time to have a nice soak in the tub or put on a sheet mask.

— jodie layne, Allure, "The Best Beauty Product for Your Zodiac Sign This Week," 4 June 2017
Add rice, cover, and let sit at room temperature 8–12 hours (coconut cream will rise to the top as rice soaks; whisk to combine before straining).

— rick martinez, Bon Appetit, "Easy Sticky Rice with Coconut and Mango," 3 June 2017

First Known Use of soak

15th century

soak Synonyms

Synonyms

alcoholic, alkie (or alky) [slang], boozehound, boozer, dipsomaniac, drinker, drunkard, inebriate, juicehead [slang], juicer [slang], lush, rummy, drunk, soaker, sot, souse, tippler, toper, tosspot

Related Words

swigger, swiller; wino

Near Antonyms

abstainer, nondrinker, teetotaler (or teetotaller), teetotalist

SOAK Defined for English Language Learners

soak

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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

play

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

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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