drench
Americanverb (used with object)
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drenches,
present (3rd person singular)
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drenched,
past participle, past
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drenching
present participle
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to wet thoroughly; soak.
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to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.
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to cover or fill completely; bathe.
trees drenched with sunlight.
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Veterinary Medicine. to administer a draft of medicine to (an animal), especially by force.
to drench a horse.
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Archaic. to cause to drink.
noun
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the act of drenching.
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something that drenches.
a drench of rain.
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a preparation for drenching or steeping.
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a solution, especially one of fermenting bran, for drenching hides or skins.
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a large drink or draft.
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a draft of medicine, especially one administered to an animal by force.
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Horticulture. a mixture of pesticide and water applied to the soil surrounding a plant.
verb
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to make completely wet; soak
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to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force
noun
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the act or an instance of drenching
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a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal
Usage
What does drench mean? To drench is to soak with a liquid, as in The rain drenched me from head to foot. Often, drench is used in reference to rain, bodies of water, or a spill of some kind. To drench is also to saturate with liquid. When you saturate, or drench, a sponge with water, for example, you add as much water as the sponge can hold. Figuratively, to drench is also to cover or fill completely, such as drenching a plant with sunlight by placing the plant in a sunny window. You might also be drenched in a strong emotion, such as joy or sadness. In other words, you’re full of that joy or sadness. A drench is a large amount of liquid that is poured or dropped onto something, such as rain during a powerful rain storm. Drench is also the specific act of drenching something. Example: The rain is going to absolutely drench the clothes hanging on the laundry line.
Synonym Usage
See wet.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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drenchsimple
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drenchessimple
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have drenchedperfect
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has drenchedperfect
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am drenchingprogressive
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are drenchingprogressive
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is drenchingprogressive
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have been drenchingperfect progressive
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has been drenchingperfect progressive
Past
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drenchedsimple
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had drenchedperfect
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was drenchingprogressive
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were drenchingprogressive
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had been drenchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drench
First recorded before 900; Middle English drenchen, Old English drencan, causative of drincan “to drink” ( see drink); cognate with Dutch drenken, German tränken “to water, give to drink”
Explanation
To drench something is to get it thoroughly wet. You might drench your sister with the garden hose to pay her back for squirting you with her water pistol. When you're sailing a small boat on a stormy day, waves might drench you, and a torrential rain storm can also drench you, if you leave your umbrella at home. If your dog is crazy about swimming, he might drench himself often by plunging into whatever body of water you're near. Drench comes from the Old English drencan, which means both "submerge or drown" and "give drink to or make drunk."
Vocabulary lists containing drench
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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Raining Cats and Dogs
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The Circuit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I just completely drench my hair in it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Moderate to heavy rains will continue to drench parts of the country throughout the weekend, officials say.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Moderate to major coastal flooding could drench roads and waterfront property from Delaware to Cape Cod.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Instead, he wandered out into the rain and sat still, letting the water drench his body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2024
We could no longer detect the city, the night was so black, so full of water and motion, so unsparing was the drench.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
The alternative, Red Ambience, drenches the car in a fathomless shade of garnet metallic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Sunlight drenches one of the organization’s water trucks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2024
Birria bathes the meat in broth, tortas ahogadas dips or drenches the sandwich, and carne en su jugo, as the name implies, serves meat in its own juices.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2023
Around 25 million people in California are under a flood watch this weekend as the latest in a parade of deadly storms drenches the state.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2023
Rain drenches us as we work our bodies and then slog around the running course.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Long before the sun rose over Cuba’s eastern coast, Yasser Sosa woke up drenched in sweat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Shirtless and drenched in sweat on his treadmill, Lula runs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Rowsell even has a mid-set costume change, going from pristine white hotpants to an all-black outfit, drenched in cold water to battle the searing summer heat.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Soft pieces of bread are drenched in a buttery mixture of Dijon mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire before being baked into a golden, shareable centerpiece.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
It was Headmaster, out of breath and drenched in sweat.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Upon impact, the balloons explode, drenching both mom and son.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Then came drenching storms, followed by the maddening doldrums.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Flooding struck the popular holiday island of Ibiza on Saturday for the second time in two weeks as the storm moved east and north into the Mediterranean after drenching southeastern Spain.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2025
It has already barrelled through the Caribbean, drenching Puerto Rico.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
A storm front rolled in and stalled over Maryland, drenching the track day after day.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
