soak

1 of 2

verb

soaked; soaking; soaks

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
soaker noun

soak

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the act or process of soaking : the state of being soaked
b
: the liquid in which something is soaked
2
3
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of soak in a Sentence

Verb 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. Noun I had a long, hot soak in the tub. felt sorry for the town soak, who couldn't hold a job
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The hunting rifle his parents had given him for his thirteenth birthday was no longer there, though, and the section of the carpet that had been soaked with blood was cut out. Andrew Solomon, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 Weakened, Helene then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains, sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. David Meyer, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2024
Noun
Popular options include San Antonio Hot Springs in Jemez Valley, Black Rock Springs in Taos and either Ojo Caliente Resort location (one is near Santa Fe, the other by Taos) for a more refined soak. Lanee Lee, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Their intimate spa, which allows guests to eat and drink between soaks and massages, is reason alone to book. Darrell Hartman, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for soak 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of soak was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near soak

Cite this Entry

“Soak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soak. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

soak

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to lie covered with a liquid
b
: to place in a liquid to wet or as if to wet thoroughly
2
a
: to enter or pass through something by or as if by pores : permeate
b
: to penetrate or affect the mind or feelings
3
: to draw out by or as if by steeping
soak the dirt out
4
: to draw in by or as if by suction or absorption
soaked up the sunshine
5
: to cause to pay too much
soaker noun

soak

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or process of soaking : the state of being soaked
2

Medical Definition

soak

noun
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on soak

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