drain

American  

[dreyn] / dreɪn /

verb (used with object)

• drains,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drained,
  past participle,  past
• draining
  present participle

1. to withdraw or draw off (a liquid) gradually; remove slowly or by degrees, as by filtration.

   to drain oil from a crankcase.

2. to withdraw liquid gradually from; make empty or dry by drawing off liquid.

   to drain a crankcase.

3. to exhaust the resources of.

   to drain the treasury.

4. to deprive of strength; tire.

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verb (used without object)

• drains,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drained,
  past participle,  past
• draining
  present participle

1. to flow off gradually.

2. to become empty or dry by the gradual flowing off of liquid or moisture.

   This land drains into the Mississippi.

noun

• drains
  plural

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

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

3. gradual or continuous outflow, withdrawal, or expenditure.

4. something that causes a large or continuous outflow, expenditure, or depletion.

   Medical expenses were a major drain on his bank account.

5. an act of draining.

6. Physical Geography.

   1. an artificial watercourse, as a ditch or trench.

   2. a natural watercourse modified to increase its flow of water.

idioms

1. go down the drain,

   1. to become worthless or profitless.

   2. to go out of existence; disappear.

drain British  

/ dreɪn /

noun

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

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

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

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

5. wasted

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verb

1. to draw off or remove (liquid) from

   to drain water from vegetables

   to drain vegetables

2. to flow (away) or filter (off)

3. (intr) to dry or be emptied as a result of liquid running off or flowing away

   leave the dishes to drain

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

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

6. (intr) to disappear or leave, esp gradually

   the colour drained from his face

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

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

drain More Idioms  

1. see brain drain; down the drain.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• drainer
  noun
• overdrain
  verb
• drainable
  adjective
• undrainable
  adjective
• undrained
  adjective
• well-drained
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drains
  plural

Participles

• draining
  present
• drained
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• drain
  simple
• drains
  simple
• have drained
  perfect
• has drained
  perfect
• am draining
  progressive
• are draining
  progressive
• is draining
  progressive
• have been draining
  perfect progressive
• has been draining
  perfect progressive

Past

• drained
  simple
• had drained
  perfect
• was draining
  progressive
• were draining
  progressive
• had been draining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will drain
  simple
• will have drained
  perfect
• will be draining
  progressive
• will have been draining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of drain

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

Explanation

Most commonly found at the bottom of sinks and bathtubs across the globe, a drain is the hole through which water is carried away. If it rains on the day you decided to go to the beach, you could say your plans went right "down the drain." When used as a verb, to drain means "to gradually empty," whether it's a man-made lake that's got to go or some financial obligations putting a strain on your wallet. And that obnoxious guy who's sucking the life out of the party? He's a real drain too.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drain drains drained draining

"Expansion and straightening cause water to drain away into the North Sea and Baltic Sea even faster, rather than being retained in the surrounding area."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

A dog named Teddy who had been missing from her Southern California home for more than 30 days was rescued from a storm drain by animal services officers and reunited with her owner on Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

SpaceX, in an effort to transform its AI business from a financial drain to a moneymaker, is spending billions of dollars on building out its data centers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

"There's no bigger drain on confidence for any player, team, support than losing cheap goals," McInnes said.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

I feel the blood drain from my face.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Hawaii's emergency management agency recommended residents clear gutters and drains and move valuables off the ground, seal gaps in doors and remove tree limbs that threaten their properties.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The country's sewage issues are, in large part, caused by the fact that drains usually take rainfall into the same network of pipes that remove waste from homes.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Instead, they emit a faint form of radiation that slowly drains their energy, causing them to shrink and eventually disappear.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

The gunk washes into storm drains and pollutes creeks, rivers and beaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

The drains alone are active, and on these Saturdays their noises sound a dull recessional to winter.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Add the drained pasta and a splash of reserved pasta water and toss to combine.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Among those was a broad programme to privatise unprofitable state-owned enterprises -- long a guarantee of lifelong so-called "iron rice bowl" employment for millions but which drained public finances.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

For most of these drinks, the artificial flavors lingered in my mouth after I’d drained the can.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Crews have now drained the Reflecting Pool for the second time in three months.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

At last the time came for the rice terraces to be drained and got ready for the next sowing.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Before draining, reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

The alternative is to continue draining everything of value as it goes up in smoke.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

During this summer's heatwaves people have taken to social media to report phone batteries draining faster because of the high temperatures, but for Jimmy those batteries are what get him around.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Law enforcement is stretched, the multitude of wells is draining the aquifer and some residents’ low wages result in reliance on social services, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

It’s draining thinking about so many things all at once, and even more draining to be around so many people.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Related Words

• bleed
• consume
• deplete
• diminish
• divert
• dry
• empty
• exhaust
• pump
• reduce
• sap
• siphon
• strain
• suck
• tap
• use up