1
as in to pump
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
we drained the water from the tank before cleaning it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to spend
to make complete use of
virtually drained the country's natural resources
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to kill
to use up all the physical energy of
the long hike drained us
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drain
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Brunson hit a free throw after a technical foul on Sacramento, then drained another 3 to cap a 13-0 run and make it 103-85.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Leondra Head, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Producers of cognac are cutting staff and uprooting vines as sales go down the drain.
—Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drain
Verb
Sanchez was unable to use his less lethal Taser because its battery had been drained.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Brunson hit a free throw after a technical foul on Sacramento, then drained another 3 to cap a 13-0 run and make it 103-85.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
Dakota Bolton, an HVAC technician, warns that freezing drain lines can stop your heating system.
—Leondra Head, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Producers of cognac are cutting staff and uprooting vines as sales go down the drain.
—Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drain
Noun
-
Eventually, the animals were clustered into a sluice-like enclosure, and then the animals would be extracted one by one.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
9 Dec. 2025
-
Charlie got into the shower, letting the hot water sluice off the rest of the blood on her back and whatever had dried in her hair.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As your heart rate increases, so does your blood flow, which causes the capillaries and arteries in your muscles to expand.—
Fara Rosenzweig,
Outside,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The relentless flow of appalling events eventually overloads the nervous system; the rising tide of brutality, which once seemed shocking, comes to seem unremarkable.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Peels can create a huge mess in the drainpipes down the road.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Authorities eventually find tickets with House's name and fingerprints in an outdoor drainpipe, indicating that House will likely be charged with vandalism and return to jail.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
16 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Until now, the forces behind such outflows were thought to be driven mainly by intense star formation and possible black hole activity.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
So far this week, global funds offloaded a net $739 million dollar worth of stocks through Thursday, on track for the largest weekly outflow since mid-April.—
Prima Wirayani,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
All gutters and drains should be cleaned of ice, snow, and other debris, the agency said.—
Bailey Allen,
The Providence Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Andre Kazimiersky is the co-owner and president at HomeHero Roofing, a residential roofing and gutter company.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drain. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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