as in exhausted
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
we were completely drained after shoveling snow all afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pumped
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
we drained the water from the tank before cleaning it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in consumed
to make complete use of
virtually drained the country's natural resources
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tired
to use up all the physical energy of
the long hike drained us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drained
Elizabeth Mervosh, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
What starts as small talk always ends up in heated debates that leave me feeling drained and resentful.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Reuters, NBC news, 10 May 2026
Laney-Hamilton, of course, drained the jumper with Kneepkens picking herself up off the hardwood.
—Fiifi Frimpong, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
Diverting that revenue would have drained the very funds that pay current and future benefits.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics, estimates that higher gasoline prices have drained $23 billion directly from household budgets since the war started.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
These networks targeted Americans and drained millions of dollars from victims.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Would hydrangeas not do better in perfect soil—loose, well-drained, and full of delicious organic matter?
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
Her own growth hasn’t just been paused by the demands of caring for a sick child, it’s been drained by the constant mental load that comes with it.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 7 May 2026
Success is dependent on being planted in sunny locations with moist, well-drained, and neutral to slightly alkaline pH soils.
—Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Adjective
Increase heat to medium, add drained pasta; cook, stirring constantly, until a creamy sauce forms and clings to pasta, about 2 minutes.
—Elizabeth Mervosh, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
What starts as small talk always ends up in heated debates that leave me feeling drained and resentful.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
War rumbles on Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia’s $3 trillion economy.
—Reuters, NBC news, 10 May 2026
Laney-Hamilton, of course, drained the jumper with Kneepkens picking herself up off the hardwood.
—Fiifi Frimpong, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
Diverting that revenue would have drained the very funds that pay current and future benefits.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics, estimates that higher gasoline prices have drained $23 billion directly from household budgets since the war started.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
These networks targeted Americans and drained millions of dollars from victims.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Would hydrangeas not do better in perfect soil—loose, well-drained, and full of delicious organic matter?
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
Her own growth hasn’t just been paused by the demands of caring for a sick child, it’s been drained by the constant mental load that comes with it.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 7 May 2026
Success is dependent on being planted in sunny locations with moist, well-drained, and neutral to slightly alkaline pH soils.
—Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drained
Adjective
-
But Butcher spent much of season four confined to a hospital bed, and as the season neared its end, Urban wasn’t exhausted.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Maxey has looked exhausted in the first two games of the series and scored just five points in the second half after scoring 19 in the game’s first 24 minutes.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Democrats pumped significant resources into the referendum vote.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
These liquids are pumped into a central unit, where a chemical reaction generates electricity.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
My novel became a similar revisiting of strange past lives, as well as a crystallization of the desire to be free of forces that had once consumed me—whether that was home, or people who reminded me of home, things that could deliver pain and pleasure at once.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
Wildfires burning in Miami-Dade and Broward have collectively consumed thousands of acres, reducing local air quality and impacting visibility.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
But muddy conditions led to slop and chaos, and tired out the front-runners after a very fast opening pace, clearing the way for the closer to do his thing.—
Peter Keating,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
Plus, their fabric and fill are less likely to accrue that ever-darkening yellowish stain that tired goose down pillows acquire over time, thanks to sweat, oils, lotion residues, etc.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When workers checked the drop box, there was a miscommunication about whether it had been fully emptied, the office said.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
Both head coaches emptied the bench to start the fourth.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
The Tribune spent several days exploring these dying malls, talking to their visitors and walking back through time.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Clark spent six weeks at the beginning of this school year setting up and practicing classroom routines and procedures with her students.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Rihanna wore tiger-print Alaïa d’Orsay pumps twice in New York in January, first with denim-on-denim and then with a matching coat, while Angel Reese went bolder that month in blue leopard-print Jennifer Le thigh-high boots with fox-fur trim.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
11 May 2026
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The first piece visitors encounter upon entering Iris van Herpen’s new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in New York is the designer’s 2016 bubble dress—a precursor to the 2026 iteration, which also emitted blown bubbles, that went viral when Eileen Gu wore it to the Met Gala last week.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play a pair of ordinary police officers who get sucked into a crazy case involving multiple murders in their small English town.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
-
Opta’s supercomputer has stayed strong on the current projections for Leeds and Forest, with their respective victories last weekend suggesting that something cataclysmic would need to happen for them to get sucked back into a relegation fight.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drained. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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