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Showing results for drainpipe. Search instead for Chain+pipe.
Synonyms

drainpipe

American  
[dreyn-pahyp] / ˈdreɪnˌpaɪp /

noun

  1. a large pipe that carries away the discharge of waste pipes, soil pipes, etc.


drainpipe British  
/ ˈdreɪnˌpaɪp /

noun

  1. a pipe for carrying off rainwater, sewage, etc; downpipe

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of drainpipe

First recorded in 1855–60; drain + pipe 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One famous example was Inky, the octopus that escaped from New Zealand's National Aquarium in 2016 by squeezing through a drainpipe and making its way back to the ocean.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

In 2007, an outbreak of foot and mouth disease was traced to an animal health lab at Pirbright in the United Kingdom, where an investigation pointed to a leaking drainpipe.

From Science Magazine • May 23, 2023

Water falls from a drainpipe at a D.R.

From Salon • May 7, 2023

Sheriff’s Department is investigating possible human remains discovered by Caltrans workers performing maintenance on a drainpipe near the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2022

There a stringy-haired man sat cross-legged on the ground playing a flute made out of a drainpipe, and five or six Believers circled him, clapping and singing.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

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