as in exhausting
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Dissimilar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of draining
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
Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Find a sunny spot in your garden with well-draining soil.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 10 Mar. 2026
The team discovered that in October 2018, hospital staff began draining the water tanks every day and stopped the daily monitoring of hydrogen peroxide concentration and disinfection of the water circuits every 14 days as recommended by the manufacturer.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
These plants hate wet feet, so make sure to use a well-draining potting soil that is somewhat on the dry side.
—Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 9 Mar. 2026
Boxwood thrives in full sun to part shade, loose, well-draining soil, and with proper spacing.
—Lauren Dunec Hoang, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2026
Choose a site with loose, well-draining soil.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
Rinsing and draining the curds further removes liquid and reduces cottage cheese’s acidity.
—Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
This boost in oil revenue would likely hand Putin new revenue for his war effort in Ukraine, an enormous expenditure that has been draining Russia’s economy, according to James Henderson at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Find a sunny spot in your garden with well-draining soil.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 10 Mar. 2026
The team discovered that in October 2018, hospital staff began draining the water tanks every day and stopped the daily monitoring of hydrogen peroxide concentration and disinfection of the water circuits every 14 days as recommended by the manufacturer.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
These plants hate wet feet, so make sure to use a well-draining potting soil that is somewhat on the dry side.
—Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 9 Mar. 2026
Boxwood thrives in full sun to part shade, loose, well-draining soil, and with proper spacing.
—Lauren Dunec Hoang, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2026
Choose a site with loose, well-draining soil.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
Rinsing and draining the curds further removes liquid and reduces cottage cheese’s acidity.
—Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for draining
Adjective
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Medicare Advantage plans often impose the strictest limits, leaving patients and providers caught in an exhausting cycle of denials and appeals.—
Alex Mejia Garcia,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
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From screenings in Malaysia to the Czechia and Iceland (where Björk made a surprise audience appearance), it's been an exhausting circuit that has also become unexpectedly intimate.—
Lale Arikoglu,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Officials have begun pumping the brakes a bit.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Gooding yells giddily, triumphantly jumping and fist-pumping the air.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, your intake will determine how protein is used in the body, and there can be side effects of consuming too much, Pasquariello says.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The parasite can cause severe neurological symptoms, with highest risk for those consuming raw freshwater crab, prawns, frogs, snails and unwashed produce.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Three glide bombs struck the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, killing four people, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, said Tuesday.—
HANNA ARHIROVA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Grand Luna has an unprecedented high-frequency extension that goes as high as 30kHz, while remaining smooth, non-fatiguing, and eliminating harshness or sibilance thanks to Campfire’s acoustic engineering.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Michael Bunting Years removed from his time siphoning points on Toronto’s top line, Bunting’s main numbers have stayed consistent.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
True advocacy for Illinois students isn’t found in siphoning public interest — and potentially public resources — away from the system that serves nearly 2 million children.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Carmen Mejia, who was declared innocent after spending more than 20 years behind bars for a wrongful conviction in a child's death in Texas, faces deportation to her native Honduras because her immigration status lapsed while she was incarcerated, her attorneys said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
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At the time, several regional experts told me that top security and political figures inside the Iraqi Shiite militias and the Houthis were limiting their use of technology, using burner phones and spending minimal time online to prevent Israel from tracking them.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jeffrey’s wife, known as Shambles, operates the puppets from behind the curtain, while wearing their 5-year-old daughter, known as Crumbo, in a sling.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Communications student Loane Concy Clementia recently stood outside the Rabanne show at Paris Fashion Week, wearing a black bra, a white lace and satin skirt and a white fur bomber off the shoulder.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Draining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draining. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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