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

The day after her diagnosis, Phoebe had her first surgery where a drain was inserted to relieve the pressure on her brain, caused by a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

But that doesn’t mean you should drain your emergency fund, either.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Texans have mobilized across the state to oppose the new developments, airing concerns that the facilities will drain local water supplies, drive up electric bills and cause noise, light and air pollution.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

His eight simple words caused me to circle the therapeutic drain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

And while Mr. Little knelt in the tub, Stuart slid easily down the drain and was lost to view.

From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White

That drains about $1 billion a year from the capital’s economy, according to an analysis by Oxford Economics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

Carmarthenshire council said there was no evidence to suggest drains could be the cause, and that its highway drain cleaning programme "remains on schedule".

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 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

Friday the drains were clogged, Saturday they were fixed.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

His decision to scrap decades-old fuel subsidies that had drained the Treasury's international dollar reserves caused prices to double, triggering widespread anger.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

It emerged in public the following morning that a drained Howe had stepped down.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Certainly, I felt a bit like Odysseus as I crept — drained, disoriented and trailing popcorn crumbs like Ithican sand — out into the sun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

He hated the way Mom and Dad were clutching each other, terrified, the way even Katherine had all the color drained from her face.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

She’s applied for more than 3,000 jobs, she said, while slowly draining the nearly $40,000 in savings she once had.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

JPMorgan sees the treatments draining the food and beverage industry of $30 billion to $55 billion in annual revenue as soon as 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

"Great effort went into straightening rivers to harness them for our use, but also into enabling agriculture by draining the wetlands."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

Bailey steps down from the railing and turns back to the conversation, all the elation he had felt moments before draining away.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

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