drain

[dreyn]

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verb (used with object)

to withdraw or draw off (a liquid) gradually; remove slowly or by degrees, as by filtration: to drain oil from a crankcase.

to withdraw liquid gradually from; make empty or dry by drawing off liquid: to drain a crankcase.

to exhaust the resources of: to drain the treasury.

to deprive of strength; tire.

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

something, as a pipe or conduit, by which a liquid drains.

Surgery. a material or appliance for maintaining the opening of a wound to permit free exit of fluids.

gradual or continuous outflow, withdrawal, or expenditure.

something that causes a large or continuous outflow, expenditure, or depletion: Medical expenses were a major drain on his bank account.

an act of draining.

Physical Geography.

an artificial watercourse, as a ditch or trench.
a natural watercourse modified to increase its flow of water.

Idioms

go down the drain,

to become worthless or profitless.
to go out of existence; disappear.

Origin of drain

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

Related formsdrain·a·ble, adjectivedrain·er, nouno·ver·drain, verbun·drain·a·ble, adjectiveun·drained, adjectivewell-drained, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for drain

pipe, duct, sewer, ditch, culvert, dry, exhaust, tap, consume, reduce, siphon, bleed, strain, pump, deplete, diminish, divert, sap, suck, empty

Examples from the Web for drain

Contemporary Examples of drain

Drain immediately and immerse the beans in ice water to stop the cooking.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris
Ina Garten
November 27, 2014
The drain clogs in the shower every few days, and the clump of tangled brown hair is springy between my fingers.
Birth Control Made My Hair Fall Out, and I’m Not the Only One
Molly Oswaks
October 14, 2014
The assumption is that President Obama is a drain on Democrats desperate to survive his unpopular numbers in key states.
What the GOP Will Do If It Wins Congress
Stuart Stevens
October 3, 2014
At the very least, this indictment will be an enormous distraction and drain on Perry's time, money and attention.
Peak 'Oops': Explaining the Perry Indictment
Mark McKinnon
August 17, 2014
Ancient bowls feature so-called “kill holes,” possibly to drain blood or allow a spirit to escape.
The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors
Nina Strochlic
August 14, 2014

Historical Examples of drain

When they are tender, remove them from the fire and drain off the water.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
When tender, drain them, remove the skins, and dice the beets.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Remove from the fat, drain, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
When it is done, take it out, lay it on its claws to drain, and then wipe it dry.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Put the oysters into a sieve, and set it on a pan to drain the liquor from them.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for drain

drain

noun

a pipe or channel that carries off water, sewage, etc

an instance or cause of continuous diminution in resources or energy; depletion

surgery a device, such as a tube, for insertion into a wound, incision, or bodily cavity to drain off pus, etc

electronics the electrode region in a field-effect transistor into which majority carriers flow from the interelectrode conductivity channel

down the drain wasted

verb

(tr often foll by off) to draw off or remove (liquid) fromto drain water from vegetables; to drain vegetables

(intr often foll by away) to flow (away) or filter (off)

(intr) to dry or be emptied as a result of liquid running off or flowing awayleave the dishes to drain

(tr) to drink the entire contents of (a glass, cup, etc)

(tr) to consume or make constant demands on (resources, energy, etc); exhaust; sap

(intr) to disappear or leave, esp graduallythe colour drained from his face

(tr) (of a river, etc) to carry off the surface water from (an area)

(intr) (of an area) to discharge its surface water into rivers, streams, etc

Derived Formsdrainable, 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

Word Origin and History for drain

Old English dreahnian "to drain, strain out," from Proto-Germanic *dreug-, source of drought, dry, giving the English word originally a sense of "make dry." Figurative meaning of "exhaust" is attested from 1650s. The word is not found in surviving texts between late Old English and the 1500s. Related: Drained; draining.

1550s, from drain (v.).

drain in Medicine

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.

Idioms and Phrases with drain

drain

see brain drain; down the drain.