drowning

verb

present participle of drown
1
as in flooding
to cover with a flood whole villages drowned by the rampaging river

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
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 1992, on a factory floor in a Toyota auto-parts subsidiary in Japan, workers were drowning in barcodes. — HubSpot, 1 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, the person on the other side of the table is drowning. — Omer Qureshi, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Perry, who struggled with drugs and alcohol for much of his life, died in 2023 after taking too much ketamine and drowning in his hot tub. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 His death was ruled an accident, with drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine listed as contributing factors. — Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026 In forensic parlance, a diagnosis of exclusion is one reached by ruling out other plausible causes; drowning can be challenging to prove, because often there’s no telltale sign that one occurred. — Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026 An autopsy in April confirmed that his death was due to drowning. — Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026 That means the conclusion was reached by ruling out other causes rather than by direct evidence of drowning. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 An expert in vehicle-drowning deaths explained in 2017 how evidence pointed to an accidental death when a University of Missouri-Kansas City student’s body was found in the Missouri River. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drowning
  1. flooding
  2. soaking
  3. wetting
  4. engulfing
  5. saturating
  6. washing
  7. overwhelming
  8. drenching
Verb
  • The central lounge is designed like a cenote, with sunlight flooding in through a huge opening in the dome, which hits different sunbeds throughout the day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of flooding
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 soaking
Verb
  • Havenith said deliberately wetting clothing can provide evaporative cooling, including for older adults who may not sweat as effectively.
    — Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • The conflict between these characters is greater than the morality tale engulfing them.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • My biggest takeaway from engulfing myself in a Vegas book for the umpteenth time was the cheering and screaming every time a player approached the end zone.
    — Doug Kezirian, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of engulfing
Verb
  • Hazardous floods could occur if back-to-back storms dump heavy rains over several days, saturating the soil in the mountains and filling reservoirs.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Fortunately, labels both affordable and luxury are coming out with new takes on this trend like clockwork, saturating the market with colorful jackets for every personal aesthetic and practical need under the sun (or, more accurately, the rain).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of saturating
Verb
  • The self-sanitizing pod is equipped with a power-washing system that cleans and disinfects the toilet and the floor for a few minutes after each use.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • For some, that means washing one or two times a week compared to the UK or US, where 41% of people wash upwards of three times a week, with 21% washing their hair every other day.
    — Anita Bhagwandas, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • The media has overwhelming taken Wilson's side, even after the man was proven innocent, and players like Chicago Sky's Natasha Cloud claimed the fan may be a domestic abuser.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The costumers have done a great job of supporting the characters; the soundtrack music, by Oli Julian, is unusual enough to notice without overwhelming the action.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Verb
  • The breakfast buffet is a must to gain the energy to hike the trails through drenching spray later.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 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 drenching

Browse Nearby Words

drowned
drowning
drowns
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Cite this Entry

“Drowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drowning. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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