variants
also syphoning
1
as in draining
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
I let the stranded motorist siphon some of my gas so he could be on his way
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in funneling
to cause to move to a central point or along a restricted pathway
investigators discovered that the so-called charitable organization was siphoning funds for personal use
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 siphoning
Advertisement But the recent surge of new groups has confused CEOs, donors, and other key constituencies by pursuing often wildly divergent messages and contradictory agendas, inadvertently establishing circular firing squads, undermining unity, and siphoning resources from credible expert voices.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
The City Council pushes back by siphoning from long-term infrastructure needs.
—
Paul Krueger,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 June 2026
Topline Web traffic for Claude is on a major upswing, apparently siphoning some traffic from competitor AI chatbots, as Anthropic prepares an initial public offering and releases a version of its powerful Mythos model to the public, albeit with safeguards.
—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
The case exposes a flood of cheaply made, often fraudulent AI tracks on major streaming platforms, siphoning royalties, overwhelming detection systems and blurring the line between fan remix and scam.
—
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Hilton has also attacked Becerra’s connection to a corruption scandal involving his former advisor and chief of staff, who pleaded guilty to siphoning around $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant campaign account.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Remove Weeds Weeds are persistent competitors for moisture in your garden, siphoning off essential hydration from your crops.
—
Sj McShane,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
By David Voreacos, Bloomberg North Carolina investment firm founder Greg Lindberg was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for siphoning more than $2 billion in reserves backing insurance policies and using the proceeds to pay for jets, mansions and a 214-foot yacht.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
North Carolina investment firm founder Greg Lindberg was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for siphoning more than $2 billion in reserves backing insurance policies and using the proceeds to pay for jets, mansions and a 214-foot yacht.
—
David Voreacos,
Bloomberg,
26 May 2026
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
The City Council pushes back by siphoning from long-term infrastructure needs.
—
Paul Krueger,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 June 2026
Topline Web traffic for Claude is on a major upswing, apparently siphoning some traffic from competitor AI chatbots, as Anthropic prepares an initial public offering and releases a version of its powerful Mythos model to the public, albeit with safeguards.
—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
The case exposes a flood of cheaply made, often fraudulent AI tracks on major streaming platforms, siphoning royalties, overwhelming detection systems and blurring the line between fan remix and scam.
—
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Hilton has also attacked Becerra’s connection to a corruption scandal involving his former advisor and chief of staff, who pleaded guilty to siphoning around $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant campaign account.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Remove Weeds Weeds are persistent competitors for moisture in your garden, siphoning off essential hydration from your crops.
—
Sj McShane,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
By David Voreacos, Bloomberg North Carolina investment firm founder Greg Lindberg was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for siphoning more than $2 billion in reserves backing insurance policies and using the proceeds to pay for jets, mansions and a 214-foot yacht.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
North Carolina investment firm founder Greg Lindberg was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for siphoning more than $2 billion in reserves backing insurance policies and using the proceeds to pay for jets, mansions and a 214-foot yacht.
—
David Voreacos,
Bloomberg,
26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for siphoning
Verb
-
The floor sink beneath the 3-comp sink was draining slowly and observed unclean.
-
Their variety of runs and rotations are hard for any side to defend against, with the Spaniards slowly draining your physical and mental energy across the course of 90 minutes (or more).
Verb
-
If Iran’s atomic weapons infrastructure was destroyed in this war, funneling hundreds of billions into the country can’t be used to rebuild it.
-
Prosecutors alleged a conspiracy to influence Madigan by funneling payments to do-nothing subcontractors and other political perks to the speaker and then washing it from the utility’s books.
Verb
-
Conversations struck up while pumping gas or waiting for coffee.
-
Firefighters deployed to the Turkey Creek pumping station and tried desperately to keep the engine room dry.
Verb
-
She is joined by Indonesian director Yosep Anggi Noen as directing mentor and cinematographer Park Junghun as cinematography mentor.
-
On Friday, Putin visited the Russian military headquarters directing the action in Ukraine to receive a report on the capture of the city of Kostyantynivka after weeks of intense street battles.
Verb
-
Vanessa also wears the hats of playwright, motivational speaker, and retreat host, channeling her storytelling gift across multiple creative platforms.
-
Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie looked like Serie A regulars, Folarin Balogun’s finishing was on song and Gio Reyna put to rest any doubts about his selection by channelling his inner Luka Modric.
Verb
-
Demonstrators express frustration Protesters marching through Johannesburg’s city center Tuesday included young men carrying traditional fighting sticks and women of all ages.
-
Dark figures were darting through the shadows—Germans were carrying sacks and pillows to their building.
Verb
-
While conducting surveillance, McCurnin spotted a man riding an electric scooter who matched the suspect’s description.
-
Central Command shared images of sailors conducting nighttime operations, flight operations and maintaining an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the vessel.
Verb
-
Applying frosting is one of the few things that cannot be said to be a subset of Haaland’s métier; after tossing his balky piping bag aside in frustration, the Norseman issued an expletive that was deemed bleep-worthy by Fox’s Standards & Practices crew.
-
The theme continues with gold contrast stitching and embroidered eyelets in the same color to suggest rivets, as well as piping on the heel taking after the interior of selvedge denim.
Cite this Entry
“Siphoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/siphoning. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
