decant
Americanverb (used with object)
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decants,
present (3rd person singular)
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decanted,
past participle, past
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decanting
present participle
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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
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(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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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:
Lord Hain is firmly behind a full decant, arguing that previous reports have found it to be the cheaper option.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026
But here’s the little trick that makes it feel thoughtful rather than “I just grabbed this on the way in”: decant it.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2025
So don’t let the modest price fool you — crack open the screw cap a few hours before dinner, or better yet, decant it and let it come to life while you cook.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 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
The vat was a light plastic container used only to decant sludge out of the water.
From All Day September by H. R. van Dongen
Less than a week after my half-hour text conversation with Dorn, a small package arrives at my door with decants of her eight selections.
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
After dinner he decants claret into his venerable person, and tells an old story; the company smile with innocent joy.
From Twenty-One Days in India; and, the Teapot Series by George Robert Aberigh-Mackay
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
A bottle that has been left open overnight or has been decanted has gotten a lot more air than one that was opened and immediately re-corked.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2022
Cereal and baking ingredients don’t need to be decanted or sorted by color.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 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
He brought out a bowl and decanted a slow blob of pine pitch into it.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
More structured and more tannic than the Wapisa, it definitely benefited from an hour’s decanting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
The anxious decanting of the container influencer points to a fear of scarcity or disorder.
From Slate ● Mar. 15, 2025
Klein is a proponent of decanting dry goods into containers and putting products in bins.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
This is controversial, I know, but I am in favor of decanting pantry items into glass jars.
From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2023
“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.
