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drainage

American  
[drey-nij] / ˈdreɪ nɪdʒ /

noun

  1. the act or process of draining.

  2. a system of drains, artificial or natural.

  3. drainage basin.

  4. something that is drained off.

  5. Surgery. the drainage of fluids, as bile, urine, etc., from the body, or of pus and other diseased products from a wound.

drainage British  
/ ˈdreɪnɪdʒ /

noun

  1. the process or a method of draining

  2. a system of watercourses or drains

  3. liquid, sewage, etc, that is drained away

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of drainage

First recorded in 1645–55; drain + -age

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.

Drainage technician Gareth had not planned to post footage on social media, but he was so thrilled by a 20-minute ride around their local woodland and mountain, he filmed it.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Drainage pipes, fiber cables and piles of sand were left blocking a lane of traffic for more than a year, while the 26-foot deep hole filled with water.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Drainage problems cost Santa Anita racing days and the subsequent installation of another brand of synthetic failed to perform adequately under extreme temperatures.

From Washington Times • Jun. 1, 2023

“We encountered many groundwater issues this year,” said Paul Korenovsky, owner of Everett-based Allied Waterproofing & Drainage.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2022

I am more than ever disinclined to have anything to say to these Drainage Commissioners.

From The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. II by Lever, Charles James

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.