drainage

American  

[drey-nij] / ˈdreɪ nɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act or process of draining.

2. a system of drains, artificial or natural.

3. drainage basin.

4. something that is drained off.

5. Surgery. the drainage of fluids, as bile, urine, etc., from the body, or of pus and other diseased products from a wound.

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drainage British  

/ ˈdreɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. the process or a method of draining

2. a system of watercourses or drains

3. liquid, sewage, etc, that is drained away

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Other Word Forms

• overdrainage noun

Etymology

Origin of drainage

First recorded in 1645–55; drain + -age

Example Sentences

I love a lymphatic drainage massage too, that’s like one of my favorite treats to myself.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Prosecutors said Colony Ridge repeatedly misled consumers about the condition of lots they purchased, forcing them to spend hundreds or thousands on drainage improvements and utility connections they hadn’t known the land needed.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

For example, disruptions in this drainage system may play a role after traumatic brain injury or in neurodegenerative diseases.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Milk parsley is their key food plant and formed part of East Yorkshire's natural fen landscape until large-scale drainage in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Then, using a wooden blade, he scored the surface of the clay in the drainage bed so it would dry faster.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Related Words

• sewerage