DRAIN (AWAY) Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

drain (away)

verb

Definition of drain (away)

as in to decrease

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually as the city lost population, its political influence drained away

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for drain (away)

Verb

Her priorities include lowering costs by expanding Medicaid, fully funded pre-kindergarten and decreasing property taxes in a sustainable way.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026
Taurine is a checkpoint of inflammation Dixit expected that taurine levels might decrease with age.

— Kristel Tjandra, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of decrease

Verb

Except in the extreme, legislators are loath to devalue local autonomy while also prioritizing delivery of state aid to diminish local tax burdens.

— David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
While rain chances will diminish, clouds will hang tough through much of the day, and northeast winds will pick up slightly to 5 to 10 mph.

— Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminish

Verb

This means rough surf, beach erosion, and coastal flooding will slowly subside at the beaches through the weekend.

— Steven Sosna, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Goldman Sachs also found that hedge funds sold tech stocks at a record pace last week, suggesting future selling pressure may subside.

— Sean Conlon, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of subside

Verb

Rain should taper off as the front passes, with drier weather following later in the day.

— Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 2 Nov. 2026
After a weekend marked by consistent downpours, South Florida will see more rain in the beginning of the week before tapering off into drier conditions at the end of the week.

— Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of taper off

Verb

Stern says the taxane class of chemotherapy agents often cause nail side effects like this, where the nail plate becomes separated and falls away from the nail bed.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 30 Oct. 2026
Like so many bleeding-edge New York bars and restaurants, this phenomenon could always fall away as soon as it was beloved enough to be missed.

— Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of fall away

Verb

Gouzer is confident that Nara’s auction record will eventually fall.

— Daniel Cassady for ARTnews, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026
Meanwhile, the Exporters Western Cape, a lobby group, told Ramaphosa before the decision that the province’s exports to the US had already fallen 41% with particularly steep declines in juice, grapes and citrus.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of fall

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.

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drain

drain (away)

drained

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“Drain (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drain%20%28away%29. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of drain (away)

verb

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