drain

[ dreyn ]

/ dreɪn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: drain / drained / draining on Thesaurus.com

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about drain

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

OTHER WORDS FROM drain

drain·a·ble, adjectivedrainer, nouno·ver·drain, verbun·drain·a·ble, adjective

un·drained, adjectivewell-drained, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use drain in a sentence

In my tests, all this chirping and listening isn’t much of an additional drain on your battery.
A covid-fighting tool is buried in your phone. Turn it on.|Geoffrey Fowler|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
We’re under a “general rain advisory,” which means there’s higher bacterial levels than normal in the ocean, especially near storm drains, rivers or lagoons.
Environment Report: Coastal Neighborhoods Supported Measure E Least|MacKenzie Elmer|November 9, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Transfer to a colander set in the kitchen sink and let drain, until slightly limp, about 30 minutes.
This bo ssam dream is within reach, and it starts with your Instant Pot|Eric Kim|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
He pointed to an incident in July in which a defector, according to South Korean officials, crawled beneath barbed wire and through a drain on Ganghwa Island, before swimming more than half a mile to North Korea.
The North Koreans Who Escape Back Home|Fiona Zublin|October 14, 2020|Ozy

These microfibers flow out of washing machines, down the drain and into the world’s rivers, lakes and oceans.
Washing your jeans too much might pose risks to the environment|Sharon Oosthoek|October 12, 2020|Science News For Students
Divided and drained by war, Syrian Christians are determined to celebrate for the first time in four years.
In One Corner of Syria, Christmas Spirit Somehow Manages to Survive|Peter Schwartzstein|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He drained the wine from the tumbler and turned away from the window, and there was no self-pity in his gravelly voice.
Football Great Bob Suffridge Wanders Through the End Zone of Life|Paul Hemphill|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the medications were sold to the government at huge mark-ups that drained the health care budget.
‘There Are People Who Should Live’: Good Confronts Evil in Ukraine|Michael Daly|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Resources are being drained from all parties, and in the end, no one wins—especially children.
Lucy Liu: Child Trafficking Must End Now|Lucy Liu|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the moment they look like dirt-caked kiddie pools, long-drained.
Uncovering the Secrets of St. Kitts|Debra A. Klein|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On this account, great care should be taken to provide well-drained positions.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The pool was drained in 1866, and, having been filled up, its site will ere long be covered with streets of houses.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
The bed should be drained by a little ditch around it on the upper side.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It is very probable, indeed, that in twenty thousand years the waters of that basin will be to a great extent drained away.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Perhaps he had waited too long for the simple breakfast; perhaps the recent glory had drained him of vital force.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa

British Dictionary definitions for drain

drain

/ (dreɪn) /

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 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with drain

drain

see brain drain; down the drain.

drain

Idioms about drain

Origin of drain

OTHER WORDS FROM drain

Words related to drain

How to use drain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drain

Derived forms of drain

Word Origin for drain

Other Idioms and Phrases with drain