drain
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.
to flow off gradually.
to become empty or dry by the gradual flowing off of liquid or moisture: This land drains into the Mississippi.
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 about drain
go down the drain,
to become worthless or profitless.
to go out of existence; disappear.
Origin of drain
1Other words from drain
- drain·a·ble, adjective
- drainer, noun
- o·ver·drain, verb
- un·drain·a·ble, adjective
- un·drained, adjective
- well-drained, adjective
Words Nearby drain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use drain in a sentence
If chips get too hot they malfunction, so this is already a major obstacle for further miniaturizing electronics, and it’s also an unsustainable resource drain on big technology companies with lots of hardware.
This Microchip Has Its Own Built-In Cooling System | Edd Gent | September 14, 2020 | Singularity HubAs decisions are now more likely to come at the last minute and advertisers want buyers to tweak plans much more frequently, it means longer hours and a drain on buyers who say the new expectations are having a negative effect on their mental health.
‘Seemingly nonstop’: Constant requests to replan and retool campaigns is getting to media buyers | Kristina Monllos | September 2, 2020 | DigidayThese efforts will combine to create the most detailed map ever of Miami’s topography, its patchwork of sea walls, and the hidden web of drains, pipes, and pumps that keep its streets dry.
Miami’s high-tech flood map will help decide which neighborhoods get saved | Nicolás Rivero | September 1, 2020 | QuartzA major remaining source of pollution are storm drains, which allow sewage, toxins, and fertilizer to flow into the river during heavy rains.
The current waste policies are a drain on general funds, are unequipped to meet the city’s zero waste goals and are an unfair burden on those who are excluded.
It’s Time to Revisit This Garbage City Policy | Joe Bettles, Marianna Garcia, Elise Hanson, Jack Christensen and Aurora Livingston | June 25, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
drain immediately and immerse the beans in ice water to stop the cooking.
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 DAILY BEASTThe assumption is that President Obama is a drain on Democrats desperate to survive his unpopular numbers in key states.
Having sufficiently wet ourselves, we viewers are left with a chilling, black-and-white image of blood circling the shower drain.
Sex, Blood and Maroon 5: Pop Culture’s Wounds Run Deep | Lizzie Crocker | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt the very least, this indictment will be an enormous distraction and drain on Perry's time, money and attention.
The formula would be: “The pump invented—drain a well ,” or Water raised in a hollow.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)The night was pitch-dark, it rained in torrents, there was mud and water everywhere, and the ground was too flat to drain.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanThen crouching low, he crossed the room to where the strainer top of the sewer drain was placed in the concrete floor.
A rumbling sound that did not originate in the thunder caps above jerked Black Hood's attention from the drain.
He did not suspect that the quinine went into the fire, and the cholagogue down the drain-pipe from the washstand.
The Cromptons | Mary J. Holmes
British Dictionary definitions for drain
/ (dreɪn) /
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
(tr often foll by off) to draw off or remove (liquid) from: to 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 away: leave 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 gradually: the 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
Origin of drain
1Derived forms of drain
- drainable, adjective
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 Idioms and Phrases with 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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