DROWN Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

drown

verb

ˈdrau̇n

Definition of drown

as in to flood

to cover with a flood whole villages drowned by the rampaging river

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to soak

to wet thoroughly with liquid drowned the carpet with shampoo, and so it took forever to dry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to wet

to make wet cooked pasta drowned in marinara sauce

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drown Eastern Africa can be susceptible to flooding during an El Niño, drowning cereal crops there, while southern Africa is drought-prone. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026 In 1992, on a factory floor in a Toyota auto-parts subsidiary in Japan, workers were drowning in barcodes. — HubSpot, 1 Oct. 2026 Lowen is a literary equivalent of a governess, hired to take charge of a body of writing rather than the Crawfords’ only remaining child, Crew (Brady Wagner), whose twin sister drowned in an accident that kicked off the family’s tragedies. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 When the solid Earth tips out of alignment, it is driven through the watery bulge, and parts of the rock poke out of the water while others get drowned. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drown

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drown

Verb

Nowhere was that fact clearer than after each concert in the casino where rivers of black Metallica T-shirts flooded the pit.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026
But suddenly everything will change, and clouds will come in, and in 10 to 15 minutes, rain will start and flood everywhere.

— William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of flood

Verb

The two large bathrooms had plenty of closet space and a deep soaking tub (there’s a third small powder room off the living area).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
With heavy rain soaking the region on Thursday, the National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for several rivers, including the Missouri River and locations along it.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of soak

Verb

Video released Wednesday morning captured the moments when a Kansas City Police Department detective and a Clay County Sheriff’s deputy rescued a man from a pickup truck that was engulfed in flames.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years.

— Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of engulf

Verb

Using sine wave generators and pink lighting so saturated it essentially blots out all other color and shadow, Young and Zazeela created a space that’s somehow both static and full of life.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
By many accounts, Glass is a friendly, obliging collaborator, and his music—fruitfully self-effacing, rarely complex enough to saturate or overwhelm the listener’s attention—behaves the same way.

— Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of saturate

Verb

At high tide, the waves wash into his living room, depositing saltwater treasures and unlikely new friends.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
The result is a single zone that can wash, chop, drain and dry without a cook ever moving to a new surface.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of wash

Verb

Tiny and blond with rounded, cherubic features, Pugh’s Cathy lands at their doorstep one night like an angel that crashed to the earth, her skull cracked and her dress drenched in blood.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
Heavy rain was already drenching parts of the region Tuesday morning and causing flooding.

— Martín Silva Rey, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of drench

Browse Nearby Words

droves

drown

drowned

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“Drown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drown. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of drown

verb

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