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drain

[ dreyn ]
/ dreɪn /
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See synonyms for: drain / drained / draining on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to flow off gradually.
to become empty or dry by the gradual flowing off of liquid or moisture: This land drains into the Mississippi.
noun
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Idioms about drain

    go down the drain,
    1. to become worthless or profitless.
    2. to go out of existence; disappear.

Origin of drain

before 1000; Middle English dreynen,Old English drēhnian,drēahnian to strain, filter; akin to dry

OTHER WORDS FROM drain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use drain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drain

drain
/ (dreɪn) /

noun
verb

Derived forms of drain

drainable, adjective

Word Origin for drain

Old English drēahnian; related to Old Norse drangr dry wood; see dry
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

Medical definitions for drain

drain
[ drān ]

n.
A device, such as a tube, inserted into the opening of a wound or into a body or dental cavity to facilitate discharge of fluid or purulent material.
v.
To draw off a liquid gradually as it forms.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Other Idioms and Phrases with drain

drain

see brain drain; down the drain.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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