DROWNING Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

drowning

verb

Definition of drowning next

present participle of drown

as in flooding

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in soaking

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wetting

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 drowning In response to a question about how Baltimore Police handle missing persons investigations and reports of drowning around the waterfront, spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge pointed The Sun toward the department’s public policy on missing person investigations. —

Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2026 In 1984, Lynn's eldest son, Jack Benny Lynn, died at the age of 34 in a drowning accident while attempting to cross a river on horseback at the family's ranch in Hurricane Mills. —

Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026 Another Colorado River drowning in 2026 There was another drowning that happened earlier this year on the Colorado River, according to a National Park Service news release. —

Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026 Tens of thousands fled by boat from Hue, many drowning in the attempt, and by the end of March a million refugees—soldiers, civilians, whole extended families—were clogging Route 7B, a major highway, trying to get farther south. —

Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 His deranged drowning scene is brilliant and totally bonkers. —

Frank Rizzo, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026 Neither does Nina’s side hustle as a food columnist, a promising subplot that disappears faster than a bread cube drowning in a cheese fondue. —

Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026 The Juno Beach Police Department released audio from several 911 calls placed that day, including one from Emily Jennings, who said her husband was drowning. —

Mason Leib, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026 The official cause of death listed on the crew member’s death certificate, which was obtained by TMZ, states that Meadows died from drowning with probable hypothermia and submersion of his body in cold water. —

Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drowning

Verb

But bad actors have learned to weaponize that same amendment as a shield, flooding the information ecosystem with content designed to discreetly destabilize our communities.

— Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2026
Widespread damaging wind gusts and flooding rainfall are still to come as storms hit areas already battered by a multi-day onslaught of twisters, massive hail and historic flooding.

— Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026