1
as in pumps
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
we drained the water from the tank before cleaning it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exhausts
to make complete use of
virtually drained the country's natural resources
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of
the long hike drained us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drains
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 May 2026
Most varieties prefer full sun to partial shade and rich, slightly acidic soil that drains well.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
If your grocery bill already feels high, laundry detergent is one of those sneaky household costs that quietly drains your budget week after week.
—Ryan Brennan
may 13, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026
For phones, there's not much that drains their battery as fast as playing demanding games, and PC games designed for dedicated desktop and laptop hardware are certainly demanding.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026
Bargain-bin potting mix often drains poorly or contains few nutrients to begin with.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
On the other end, the cheapest bagged potting mix often drains too quickly or contains almost no nutrients to feed new roots.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Conversely, water infiltrates sandy loam soil relatively quickly but also drains out fairly quickly.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2026
Build a life that supports you instead of drains you.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 25 Jan. 2026
Below, San Angelo gives us several methods for cleaning bathroom sink drains, her best tips on how to avoid a clogged bathroom sink, and what to avoid when cleaning your bathroom sink drain.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
Leaking faucets, pipes, and air conditioning units should be repaired, and the ground next to the foundation should be sloped so that surface water drains away from the building.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 May 2026
Most varieties prefer full sun to partial shade and rich, slightly acidic soil that drains well.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
If your grocery bill already feels high, laundry detergent is one of those sneaky household costs that quietly drains your budget week after week.
—Ryan Brennan
may 13, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026
For phones, there's not much that drains their battery as fast as playing demanding games, and PC games designed for dedicated desktop and laptop hardware are certainly demanding.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026
Bargain-bin potting mix often drains poorly or contains few nutrients to begin with.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
On the other end, the cheapest bagged potting mix often drains too quickly or contains almost no nutrients to feed new roots.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Conversely, water infiltrates sandy loam soil relatively quickly but also drains out fairly quickly.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2026
Build a life that supports you instead of drains you.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
Descaling and Unclogging Uses Use cleaning vinegar to unclog stubborn drains by adding 1 cup of baking soda to your drain followed by 1 cup of cleaning vinegar, says Dills.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 25 Jan. 2026
Below, San Angelo gives us several methods for cleaning bathroom sink drains, her best tips on how to avoid a clogged bathroom sink, and what to avoid when cleaning your bathroom sink drain.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drains
Verb
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The life-support device − which pumps blood through an artificial lung, providing it with oxygen and returning it to the body − is hoped to relieve enough pressure on the lungs and heart to give them some time to recover, the reports add.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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Queen Camilla returned to her bespoke Eliot Zed pumps in soft black suede with a black leather toe cap, after wearing the same pair just days earlier at the Badminton Horse Trials.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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If the search for a large outdoor planter exhausts you—just get a terra-cotta planter.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
6 Apr. 2026
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As the oil blockade quickly exhausts Cuba’s supply of fuel, triggering a series of lengthy, island-wide blackouts, many here are exhausted and are becoming increasingly vocal about their desire for fundamental changes in Cuba.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Julianne Hough wears her shorty-shorts to show off her glorious dancer legs at the Disney Upfront in New York City on May 12.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Most of the shirts Mason wears follow a visual script that is different from your standardized button-downs.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
About 20% of the world's oil flows throw the strait, and Iran's ability to block the flow of tankers has roiled the global economy, sending oil prices soaring.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To begin, lab assistant Julia Butac empties a burlap bag of beans into a bin and starts to sift them a couple handfuls at a time, removing anything that isn't a full bean.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 May 2026
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Best of all, its RockDock Plus empties the dustbin for me for up to seven weeks.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
On average, a medium-sized data center consumes roughly 110 million gallons of water per year for cooling, which is enough to power the annual water use of about 1,000 households.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
According to some reports, globally, this consumes something like 1-2% of global energy consumption.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Hundreds of hospitals had adopted an algorithm from electronic health record company Epic that promised to alert physicians to predicted cases of sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection that kills more than 350,000 people in the United States every year.—
Katie Palmer,
STAT,
12 May 2026
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The oxygen bleach solution is gentle on the vinyl siding but kills mold, mildew, and most other types of bacteria or fungus.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
To counteract this unintentional sabotage, start by cleaning your gutters.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
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Possible mosquito breeding areas can include fish ponds, swimming pools, spas, standing water, tree holes, containers, bird baths, roof gutters, pet water bowls, street gutters, wading pools and watering troughs.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drains. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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