DRAIN Synonyms: 167 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'drain' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of drain are bankrupt , deplete , exhaust , and impoverish . While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence. // personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

Q: When might 'bankrupt' be a better fit than 'drain'?

The synonyms bankrupt and drain are sometimes interchangeable, but bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse. // war had bankrupted the nation of resources

Q: When can 'deplete' be used instead of 'drain'?

Although the words deplete and drain have much in common, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function. // depleting our natural resources

Q: When is 'exhaust' a more appropriate choice than 'drain'?

In some situations, the words exhaust and drain are roughly equivalent. However, exhaust stresses a complete emptying. // her lecture exhausted the subject

Q: When would 'impoverish' be a good substitute for 'drain'?

The words impoverish and drain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness. // impoverished soil

drain 1 of 2

verb

ˈdrān

Definition of drain

as in to pump

to remove (liquid) gradually or completely we drained the water from the tank before cleaning it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to spend

to make complete use of virtually drained the country's natural resources

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to kill

to use up all the physical energy of the long hike drained us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drain

2 of 2

noun

as in sluice

Related Words

as in flow

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word drain distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of drain are bankrupt, deplete, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When might bankrupt be a better fit than drain?

The synonyms bankrupt and drain are sometimes interchangeable, but bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When can deplete be used instead of drain?

Although the words deplete and drain have much in common, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than drain?

In some situations, the words exhaust and drain are roughly equivalent. However, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for drain?

The words impoverish and drain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drain

Verb

Add the broccolini or green beans to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes, then transfer to the ice bath until cool; drain well. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Having drained their budgets responding to the market shocks of the Gulf conflict, many governments will meet these new challenges with empty coffers. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Noun

Fill your tub, plug your drain, and squirt some dish soap into the water. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 29 Sep. 2026 Water that gathers above the protective liner on the stacks will be treated as regular stormwater and drain into Tampa Bay, Donica explained. — Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drain

Verb

That would mean oil, which is being pumped full out in the world and can't be reined in that quickly, would fill tankers everywhere and the only way to not upset the supply market would be to dump it anywhere.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
This is encouraging — trustworthy system should be able to pump the breaks and realize when data inputs are too unreliable to make accurate estimations.

— Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of pump

Verb

Hochul's announcement came shortly after dozens of students and community members spent hours demanding transparency and accountability from university leaders at a forum sponsored by Cornell's student government.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Earlier this year, César Alvarez spent far too much of their play The Potluck having their onstage avatar wiggle around on the hook of writing The Potluck.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

On the politics, his statement summons a legacy-killing disaster by wagering that nothing will go wrong, when something likely will go wrong during his presidency.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, was founded in 1980 by a mother whose 13-year-old daughter was killed by an intoxicated driver.

— Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of kill

Noun

The water flow is being managed at Canton Lake, and the Corps of Engineers said the goal is to have between 600 and 730 cubic feet of water per second leave through sluice gates during the greatest period of flow.

— Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 22 Sep. 2026
Dam Removal Europe found that the number of dams dismantled in 2025, along with other water-flow controls like weirs, culverts and sluices, grew by 11% from the year before.

— Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 3 June 2026

Definition of sluice

Noun

Water therefore keeps flowing in at the edge and out through the center as vapor, and that steady flow is what generates the current.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Oct. 2026
Cool a material below a critical temperature, and electrons pair up and enter a state that lets electricity flow without resistance.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of flow

Verb

The fats and oils inside the tank did not physically change when thieves began siphoning them out.

— Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
No new rules have been issued regarding the trade, but some bond watchers wonder if the growing popularity of the trade might siphon capital that would otherwise be allocated to the bond market.

— Oliver Renick, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of siphon

Verb

That means an e-reader can display a page for hours while consuming essentially no display power between updates.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
According to a new report on eating patterns in America by market research company Circana, nearly half of US adults are actively trying to consume more protein, from bars to whey powder to chicken breasts night after night.

— Emily Laurence Sardinha, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

All officers on the scenes of vehicle stops must wear and activate their body cameras, under the guidance.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
To balance its titular genres—to portray Bogart as playing Spider-Man—the show needed an actor who would neither wear the role like a suit nor find it within himself.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of wear

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“Drain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drain. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of drain

verb

noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on drain

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