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.
-
to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.
-
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
There, his teammates were waiting with water bottles ready to drench him in celebration, knowing full well how much Friday meant to their newly minted point guard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
He’d like to be outside with Petey in the rain, one of those warm summer rains that was just hard enough to drench you, but not hard enough to chase you indoors.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
The alternative, Red Ambience, drenches the car in a fathomless shade of garnet metallic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
So when rain drenches Tenerife's beaches it is not unusual for snow to fall over the volcano.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
The key to killing a local colony of red imported fire ants is using a combination of chemical drenches and greasy bait, because the carnivorous ants love protein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 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
A woman so strong she burns heaven and drenches hell.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
Wet weather has drenched the Games since Sunday, another headache for organisers wrestling with complaints from teams about accommodation and transport.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Within 10 minutes, he was drenched with sweat and out of breath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
“This case is drenched with circumstantial evidence,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Mainly all over him as his friends and family drenched him as he made his way to the media centre after the match.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
With each step that he took his burden grew heavier, and his breath became slow and harsh, and, of a sudden, cold sweat stood out on his brow and drenched his back.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Thick foam from the building’s insulation floated by on streams that leaked from the hulking shell, which firefighters have been drenching for days since the fire erupted on the roof the afternoon of June 17.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Teenage boys have been drenching themselves and their surroundings in its scents for decades—and drawing complaints and choking coughs for just as long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 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
This trigger, he said, was pulled with force, drenching several northern states.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
Ella looked up at her mama, the moonlight drenching her brown skin.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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