drown

verb

ˈdrau̇n 

drowned ˈdrau̇nd  ; drowning ˈdrau̇-niŋ 

intransitive verb

: to become drowned

fell in the river and drowned

chicken drowning in barbecue sauce

drowning in paperwork

transitive verb

1

a

: to suffocate by submersion especially in water

b

: to submerge especially by a rise in the water level

villages drowned by the flooding river

c

: 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

4

a

: to drive out (something, such as a sensation or an idea)

drowned his sorrows in liquor

b

: overwhelm

was drowned in homework

Synonyms

• flood
• engulf
• overwhelm
• submerge

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 on the Web

The line in Swift's song and The Life of a Showgirl's cover art appears to be inspired by a Victorian-era painting that depicts the scene in Hamlet when Ophelia goes crazy and falls into a stream and drowns after learning Hamlet killed her father. —Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 3 Oct. 2025

China began conducting the contentious patrols after a February 2024 accident in which two Chinese fishermen drowned near Kinmen while fleeing from Taiwan’s coast guard. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

The videos, which were shared online, showed baby monkeys being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled and mutilated. —Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2025

The last post shared on Allen's Instagram was a photo of him and the late Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died in July after drowning while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. —Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English drounen

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing drown

• drown one's sorrows/fears

Rhymes for drown

• bown
• clown
• crown
• frown
• gown
• lown
• noun
• town
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown

Kids Definition

drown

verb

ˈdrau̇n 

1

a

: to suffocate in a liquid and especially in water

b

: to become drowned

2

: to cover with water : inundate

3

: to overpower especially with noise

—usually used with out

the music was drowned out by shouting

Medical Definition

drown

verb

ˈdrau̇n 

drowned ˈdrau̇nd  ; drowning ˈdrau̇-niŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: 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