drench
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wet thoroughly; soak.
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to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.
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to cover or fill completely; bathe.
trees drenched with sunlight.
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Veterinary Medicine. to administer a draft of medicine to (an animal), especially by force.
to drench a horse.
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Archaic. to cause to drink.
noun
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the act of drenching.
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something that drenches.
a drench of rain.
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a preparation for drenching or steeping.
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a solution, especially one of fermenting bran, for drenching hides or skins.
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a large drink or draft.
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a draft of medicine, especially one administered to an animal by force.
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Horticulture. a mixture of pesticide and water applied to the soil surrounding a plant.
verb
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to make completely wet; soak
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to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force
noun
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the act or an instance of drenching
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a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal
Usage
What does drench mean? To drench is to soak with a liquid, as in The rain drenched me from head to foot. Often, drench is used in reference to rain, bodies of water, or a spill of some kind.To drench is also to saturate with liquid. When you saturate, or drench, a sponge with water, for example, you add as much water as the sponge can hold.Figuratively, to drench is also to cover or fill completely, such as drenching a plant with sunlight by placing the plant in a sunny window. You might also be drenched in a strong emotion, such as joy or sadness. In other words, you’re full of that joy or sadness.A drench is a large amount of liquid that is poured or dropped onto something, such as rain during a powerful rain storm.Drench is also the specific act of drenching something.Example: The rain is going to absolutely drench the clothes hanging on the laundry line.
Related Words
See wet.
Other Word Forms
- drencher noun
- drenching noun
- drenchingly adverb
- undrenched adjective
Etymology
Origin of drench
First recorded before 900; Middle English drenchen, Old English drencan, causative of drincan “to drink” ( drink ); cognate with Dutch drenken, German tränken “to water, give to drink”
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.
So when rain drenches Tenerife's beaches it is not unusual for snow to fall over the volcano.
From BBC
He describes it as "madness" that sunshine drenched southern Italy doesn't put up more solar panels, for example.
From BBC
In mid-November the rains started in earnest, chilly, drenching day-long downpours that left beads of moisture even on the inside walls.
From Literature
We were drenched from horsing around in the crick and stepping in holes we couldn’t see.
From Literature
Before it goes into the oven, lightly pat the exterior with olive oil — not a drench, just a gloss — then finish it with a final snowfall of black pepper and a pinch of flaky salt.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
