soak 1 of 2

noun

Definition of soaknext
as in alcoholic
a person who makes a habit of getting drunk felt sorry for the town soak, who couldn't hold a job

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

soak

2 of 2

verb

ˈsōk How to pronounce soak (audio)
1
as in to saturate
to wet thoroughly with liquid we ran for home as soon as the rain started, but our clothes still ended up soaked

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2
as in to gouge
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services a merchant who soaks the tourists every summer

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3
as in to wet
to make wet that downpour soaked my hair, and now I look like a sight

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4
as in to drink
to partake excessively of alcoholic beverages depressed about his love life, he repaired to a bar to soak

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word soak different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of soak are drench, impregnate, saturate, and steep. While all these words mean "to permeate or be permeated with a liquid," soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

When might drench be a better fit than soak?

In some situations, the words drench and soak are roughly equivalent. However, drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

Where would impregnate be a reasonable alternative to soak?

The words impregnate and soak can be used in similar contexts, but impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

When could saturate be used to replace soak?

The synonyms saturate and soak are sometimes interchangeable, but saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

When can steep be used instead of soak?

While in some cases nearly identical to soak, steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

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 soak
Noun
Lizama shot 8 under par to win the boys’ title, ending his junior career with a celebratory soak from friends and family. —Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2025 Either way, that hot-tub soak back at the lodge will feel well-earned. —Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
Bring it to a boil, then turn the burner off and allow the balls to soak. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025 The windowed bathroom, with its cast-iron soaking tub, has an archway for visual interest. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for soak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soak
  1. alcoholic
  2. saturate
  3. gouge
  4. wet
  5. drink
  6. drunk
  7. drown
  8. sting
Noun
  • Even as Asahi resumed shipments last week, demand for its popular alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks outpaced its delivery capacity.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The brothers grew up in a household ruled by their mother’s preachings about the sins of lust and carnal desire, per the outlet, which also reports that their father was an alcoholic.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Definition of alcoholic
Verb
  • Provide enough water to keep the surface moist, but not saturated.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The picture looks rich and detailed, and colors are saturated in both dark and light scenes.
    — PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Definition of saturate
Verb
  • At least the climactic pandemonium has some of that old REC intensity; Plaza dynamically orchestrates the violence, dazzling the eyes of his audience one minute, gouging the eyes of his characters the next.
    — A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Ella’s son is now 7 and sometimes traipses downstairs to gouge his grandparents’ cereal collection.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2025
Definition of gouge
Verb
  • To help keep leaves, whole or chopped, in place during high winds or flooding rains, wet them down with a hose.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
  • But the comedy is absolutely something that wets my beak, I'm drawn to it.
    — H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Definition of wet
Verb
  • In 2005, LifeStraw offered a clever aid to help more people drink safe water.
    — Merrill Fabry, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
  • City Tavern had opened the previous year, backed by a group of wealthy Philadelphians who’d decided there was no place in town that met their standards for decent food and drink.
    — Victoria Flexner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Definition of drink
Noun
  • In 1984, a 20-year-old woman named Kathleen Barry was killed in a drunk-driving crash, prompting legal reforms in Massachusetts.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Yes, that is not a way to clear herself from the problem of very publicly calling Shannon a drunk.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of drunk
Verb
  • People fled to the roof, where the roar of rushing water nearly drowned out the approach of rescue helicopters, Mitchell said.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The risk of drowning for autistic children is more than 160 times greater than the general child population, according to a 2017 study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
    — Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of drown
Verb
  • The Chiefs have been on the wrong side of fourth-quarter closeness this year (0-3 after Monday night’s slippery loss, which had to sting).
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The production was plagued by hurricanes, tsunami warnings, stinging jellyfish and several injuries — including Costner, who almost died while riding out a storm stranded atop a mast after his safety line had snapped.
    — Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Definition of sting

Phrases Containing soak

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Cite this Entry

“Soak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soak. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

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