siphon

1 of 2

noun

si·​phon ˈsī-fən How to pronounce siphon (audio)
variants or less commonly
1
a
: a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow
b
usually syphon : a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened
2
: any of various tubular organs in animals and especially mollusks or arthropods that are used for drawing in or ejecting fluids

Illustration of siphon

Illustration of siphon
  • siphon 1a

siphon

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly syphon
siphoned also syphoned; siphoning also syphoning ˈsī-fə-niŋ How to pronounce siphon (audio)
ˈsīf-niŋ

transitive verb

: to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon
often used with off

intransitive verb

: to pass by or as if by a siphon

Examples of siphon in a Sentence

Verb The water needs to be siphoned from the pool. She illegally siphoned money out of other people's bank accounts. Funds were siphoned from the schools to build a new stadium. The large chain stores are siphoning profits from the small local stores.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
After Simpson’s alert, Apple redesigned its squid emoji, banishing a siphon that was oddly placed in the center of the animal’s face. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2024 There exists a loose federation of Black Americans who look upon Black non-Americans as siphons of what reparative bounty should be theirs. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2024
Verb
Public funds are being siphoned out of the public school system and into private, for-profit, and religious schools through this program. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 2024 According to local media analysis of U.S.-based research institute Global Financial Integrity data, nearly $150 billion was siphoned out of the country by influential people and businesses during the last 15 years of Hasina’s rule. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for siphon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'siphon.' 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

Noun

French siphon, from Latin siphon-, sipho tube, pipe, siphon, from Greek siphōn

First Known Use

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of siphon was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near siphon

Cite this Entry

“Siphon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siphon. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

siphon

1 of 2 noun
si·​phon
variants also syphon
ˈsī-fən
1
: a bent tube through which a liquid can be drawn by means of air pressure up and over the edge of one container and into another container at a lower level
2
: any of various tube-shaped organs in animals and especially mollusks that are used to draw in or pass off fluids

siphon

2 of 2 verb
variants also syphon
siphoned also syphoned; siphoning also syphoning
ˈsīf-(ə-)niŋ
: to draw off or pass off by or as if by a siphon
siphoned off money for a vacation

More from Merriam-Webster on siphon

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