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
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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
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Recent Examples of siphoning
This comes on the heels of a previous survey from the UC Berkeley Citrin Center which also showed the two GOP candidates leading, with the Democrats piled up behind them, seemingly siphoning votes from each other.
—
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Eventually, Roosevelt broke with the Republican Party altogether, running for president on the Bull Moose ticket in 1912, siphoning off votes from his old party and handing the election to Woodrow Wilson.
—Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Consumer advocates and industry critics say that some of these companies are more interested in quick financial gains than lasting protection and might be siphoning profits instead of saving for future disasters.
—Scott Pham, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
At the time of the landmark rights deal, Levy’s sales team had spent the last two years merrily siphoning off marketing dollars traditionally earmarked for the broadcast giants.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Smith earned millions of dollars from his fraudulent streams, siphoning off royalties from the legitimate artists in the royalty pool.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Late one night, an Oxnard ambulance driver prepared to head to an emergency call and found a teenage woman there in the dark, siphoning gas from his ambulance’s tank.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The 23-count indictment accused them of conspiring to pad McCluskie’s salary by siphoning $225,000 in campaign funds from his boss, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, after Becerra joined the Biden administration as a Cabinet official and McCluskie became his chief of staff.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors accused him of siphoning millions from a ticket-resale business, and misleading investors, in order to pay off gambling debts.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Eventually, Roosevelt broke with the Republican Party altogether, running for president on the Bull Moose ticket in 1912, siphoning off votes from his old party and handing the election to Woodrow Wilson.
—Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Consumer advocates and industry critics say that some of these companies are more interested in quick financial gains than lasting protection and might be siphoning profits instead of saving for future disasters.
—Scott Pham, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
At the time of the landmark rights deal, Levy’s sales team had spent the last two years merrily siphoning off marketing dollars traditionally earmarked for the broadcast giants.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Smith earned millions of dollars from his fraudulent streams, siphoning off royalties from the legitimate artists in the royalty pool.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Late one night, an Oxnard ambulance driver prepared to head to an emergency call and found a teenage woman there in the dark, siphoning gas from his ambulance’s tank.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The 23-count indictment accused them of conspiring to pad McCluskie’s salary by siphoning $225,000 in campaign funds from his boss, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, after Becerra joined the Biden administration as a Cabinet official and McCluskie became his chief of staff.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors accused him of siphoning millions from a ticket-resale business, and misleading investors, in order to pay off gambling debts.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for siphoning
Verb
-
No jumping back into draining obligations.—
Tiffany Aliche,
SELF,
30 Mar. 2026
-
When correctly implemented, first-time business owners can avoid many of the common time-draining processes.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Millions of dollars in cash, including large sums believed to be funding foreign terrorists, continue to fly out of the Minneapolis airport annually, according to lawmakers investigating the money funneling schemes.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
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Both the Department of Justice and the House Ethics Committee have accused her of funneling part of that money into her campaign.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine previously showed that starting beta-blockers soon after a heart attack did not improve major outcomes for certain patients with normal heart pumping function.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In a second, shorter video also shared to social media, Kid Rock is seen from a different angle pumping his fist at the first helicopter outside his house.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Because this is an actor who’s directing, and he’s never directed before.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Decades of city life had calcified the tension in my bones, the chatter in my mind directing me to do more, buy more, and be more.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The team behind Kisa and C as in Charlie is channeling Atlanta nostalgia with this Southern country buffet concept debuting in the East Village.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Pham donned a neon pink wig and a vest, channeling Lily’s alter ego, Lola.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Troopers have determined the bus was carrying about 60 seventh and eighth grade students and adult staff members when the engine compartment began to smoke just south of Exit 32.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Heifler was carrying a large bottle of Everclear, a liquor with a high alcohol content level and had other components to make the Molotov cocktails at his home, the complaint said.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, which administers the Medicaid expansion, would be tasked with conducting the review of all of its recipients by the end of the year.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
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Scientists were conducting further genetic testing from the tissue samples to confirm which collected specimens were new to science.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Allow mixture to soften to piping consistency.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Other proposals floated over the decades included towing icebergs from Alaska or Antarctica, diverting rivers from the rainy Pacific Northwest or even piping Great Lakes water thousands of miles west across the Continental Divide.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Siphoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/siphoning. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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