decant
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to pour (wine or other liquid) gently so as not to disturb the sediment.
-
to pour (a liquid) from one container to another.
verb
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to pour (a liquid, such as wine) from one container to another, esp without disturbing any sediment
-
(tr) to rehouse (people) while their homes are being rebuilt or refurbished
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decantsimple
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decantssimple
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have decantedperfect
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has decantedperfect
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am decantingprogressive
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are decantingprogressive
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is decantingprogressive
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have been decantingperfect progressive
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has been decantingperfect progressive
Past
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decantedsimple
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had decantedperfect
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was decantingprogressive
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were decantingprogressive
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had been decantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decant
1625–35; < Medieval Latin dēcanthāre, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + Medieval Latin canth ( us ) spout, rim of a vessel ( Latin: iron band round a wheel < Greek kánthos corner of the eye, tire) + -āre infinitive suffix
Explanation
The verb decant means "to pour." Kids moving water back and forth between two cups, your dad pouring a bucket of soapy water in the sink, or a wine expert emptying a bottle of wine into a fancy glass container — all of them are decanting liquids. When you decant, pronounced "dee-CANT," something by slowly pouring it from one bottle to another, you may feel a little bit like a mad scientist or an alchemist. That image would be appropriate, since early on decant was used by alchemists to describe the process of separating a liquid from a sediment by careful pouring. Today, wine lovers do just that — decanting wine to avoid any solid bits — but pouring any liquid can be described as decanting.
Vocabulary lists containing decant
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Hunting by Stars
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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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.
See Examples For:
When you get home, you decant the spring rolls, curry, rice and noodles onto real plates, turn the lights down low, light a few candles and put on music you actually want to listen to.
From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2026
The rapid "decant of services" meant the nine-bed ICU was given a temporary new home in the space previously occupied by eye theatre.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2025
Some terrific directorial touches linger, such as when three characters decant olive oil in sync, the golden lighting and jazzy instrumentals heightening the sense that the trio has achieved a state of flow.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2023
I poured coffee grounds from a red can into a pot of boiling water, waited to decant cowboy coffee, and thought about how to lose the fox.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2022
Allow to settle, and decant off the clear liquid.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
She estimates her collection of decants — the insider term for 2-milliliter bottle samples, which she orders from the website DecantPlanet for between $4 and $12 — is in the hundreds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025
After brewing the coffee in a French press, Flynn decants it into a measuring cup and lets it rest for five minutes, allowing the sediment to fall to the bottom.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2022
Williams, the author of the story collection “A Selfie as Big as the Ritz,” decants her first novel into flights, like wine.
From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2019
Only 20% of our properties are residential, but we're dealing with a growing number of housing estate "decants".
From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2013
While his friends, who never dream of Interrupting, stand agog, He decants a ceaseless stream of Monologue.
From Familiar Faces by Graham, Harry
These once held olive oil imported from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East and were discarded here after the oil was decanted at a nearby port.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2025
Cereal and baking ingredients don’t need to be decanted or sorted by color.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2022
Now, I have a whole bunch of weird, tiny, hand-labeled bottles of stuff that people have decanted for me, and that's very fun.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2022
More than 40,000 plants have been decanted from the category A glasshouse ahead of a multi-million pound upgrade.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2021
“The Master ordered it decanted especially for you, my lord,” said the Butler.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
More structured and more tannic than the Wapisa, it definitely benefited from an hour’s decanting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
In both kitchens, we see a panoply of clear jars, an attention to display, and an affection for decanting.
From Slate ● Mar. 15, 2025
"When you have a system that is under so much pressure, you can't get ambulances decanting those vulnerable patients into the ED and those ambulances are trapped."
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2025
The day before, Levin and McDougall-Treacy’s daughter, Erin McDougall, spend the day whipping together meringue powder, powdered sugar and water for icing, mixing colors and decanting them into dozens of little squeeze bottles.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2022
“It is important to chill the vial prior to decanting, as the agent boils at room temperature.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
