as in exhausting
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1
as in pumping
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 consuming
to make complete use of
virtually drained the country's natural resources
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in killing
to use up all the physical energy of
the long hike drained us
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of draining
Fj Campbell, Fortune, 20 May 2026
Already carrying wider spans of control and shrinking development support, a manager operating against an outdated role definition is doing something more draining than managing a heavy workload.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Asch recommends finding a driver-friendly activity to make time on the road feel less draining, such as listening to an audiobook or podcast.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
To save space, grow several shade-tolerant herbs together in a large container (such as a half whiskey barrel) with some well-draining potting mix.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 May 2026
The leader who does excellent work in private, who processes carefully before speaking and who finds large group settings actively draining is usually unaware of just how much their patterns of presence and withdrawal are being (mis)read by the team depending on them.
—Bill Koch, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
My success has now resulted in several big promotions, which means more demanding schedules and draining technical tasks at times.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 26 May 2026
Hopkinson was dynamic and communicative; after a long, draining summer Newcastle needed a jolt of adrenaline.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Over the past two decades, however, more farmers have used intermittent flooding – draining their fields periodically.
—Hanqin Tian, Fortune, 25 May 2026
As their prey became larger, these animals upped the ante by making their primary weapon bigger and more powerful, draining resources away from arms and claws.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
According to business organizations, ongoing protests and road blockades are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia's economy and have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on the highways.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
Adjective
Others are voluntarily asking to see more patients because the most draining and time-consuming parts of their job are now handled by AI.
—Fj Campbell, Fortune, 20 May 2026
Already carrying wider spans of control and shrinking development support, a manager operating against an outdated role definition is doing something more draining than managing a heavy workload.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Asch recommends finding a driver-friendly activity to make time on the road feel less draining, such as listening to an audiobook or podcast.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
All this self-agonizing left the rest of the cast and crew waiting around for hours, their goodwill draining away.
—Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
To save space, grow several shade-tolerant herbs together in a large container (such as a half whiskey barrel) with some well-draining potting mix.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 May 2026
The leader who does excellent work in private, who processes carefully before speaking and who finds large group settings actively draining is usually unaware of just how much their patterns of presence and withdrawal are being (mis)read by the team depending on them.
—Bill Koch, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
My success has now resulted in several big promotions, which means more demanding schedules and draining technical tasks at times.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 26 May 2026
Hopkinson was dynamic and communicative; after a long, draining summer Newcastle needed a jolt of adrenaline.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Over the past two decades, however, more farmers have used intermittent flooding – draining their fields periodically.
—Hanqin Tian, Fortune, 25 May 2026
As their prey became larger, these animals upped the ante by making their primary weapon bigger and more powerful, draining resources away from arms and claws.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
According to business organizations, ongoing protests and road blockades are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia's economy and have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on the highways.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for draining
Adjective
-
She was focussed on recovering, physically and mentally, from the exhausting two weeks in Rome, which had required her maximum effort.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
24 May 2026
-
Even after earning her place in medicine, Taylor-Allen says those experiences continued to build over time in ways that felt both subtle and exhausting.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Though the region remains relatively underexplored, recent finds have benefited from companies’ access to oil infrastructure and expertise built over decades at nearby Prudhoe Bay, the Alaska oil field that began pumping crude into TAPS in 1977.—
Jennifer A. Dlouhy,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
-
The Sacramento Teachers Association is spending big to try to get two candidates on the Sacramento County Board of Education board, while the California Charter Schools Association is pumping money into their opponents.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
As these energy-saving bulbs became cheaper and more efficient, societies found more occasions for lighting rather than simply consuming less electricity.—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
30 May 2026
-
With the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed, top oil-consuming countries have been rapidly draining their reserves, helping keep crude prices in check.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Russia attacked Kyiv on Sunday, killing four, injuring about 100, and damaging cultural sites.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
26 May 2026
-
That's the anniversary of a democratic uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally suppressed by troops, tanks and helicopters, killing or injuring hundreds.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the most mentally fatiguing aspect, the work found, was having to constantly supervise the AI tools, with some employees overseeing multiple AI agents performing different tasks at the same time.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My friend was in course of opening up his country house unassisted, and after a fatiguing day discovered that the only practical bed was a child’s affair— long enough but scarcely wider than a crib.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa questioned Becerra’s role in a corruption scandal involving a former aide who pleaded guilty to siphoning funds from Becerra’s dormant campaign account to pad his salary.—
Ben Paviour
May 6,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
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But many of Lamont’s fellow Democrats in the legislature’s majority have argued for the past two years that Connecticut saves too aggressively, siphoning dangerously large amounts from town aid and other core programs and effectively forcing one generation to solve a problem created by three.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The idea to create a docu-fiction where a character is inserted into real-life environments to interact with unsuspecting locals came to Ribeiro after spending long periods of time in El Paso as a journalist covering immigration.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
-
The bottom line As gorgeous as these phones are, that alone cannot justify spending a ton of money on them.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes foot pain really does come down to wearing completely flat sandals on repeat, and this pair feels like a smarter swap.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2026
-
Vargas plans on wearing sunglasses Sunday.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Draining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draining. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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