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 major coastal flooding could drench roads and waterfront property from Delaware to Cape Cod.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Ragasa is not expected to hit Taiwan directly but is set to drench the island's east coast with heavy rains.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2025
More than a foot of rain could drench the North Bay by the end of the week, where a flood watch remains in effect through at least Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
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
Mudslides, flooding and strong winds are battering southern California as a second day of storms drenches one of the most populous parts of the US.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 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
But Chazelle drenches these moments in style, in music, in beautiful actors shrieking at the camera, in bigness; you watch not just for the story but for the immersion he creates.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
Somewhere a dam has cracked open and a flood of cold sweat spills, drenches your body.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
King Charles III was left drenched and without an umbrella when a torrential downpour interrupted celebrations of Antigua and Barbuda's independence day on Sunday.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Janelle Monáe is absolutely drenched in fake blood and standing in the middle of a cemetery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
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
A voice she recognizes even before she turns to find Marco standing behind her, completely drenched in rain, droplets cascading from the brim of his bowler hat.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
El Niño, the climate pattern of ocean waters warming up in the central and eastern Pacific, does not guarantee drenching storms in California, but it tilts the chances in their favor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 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
This trigger, he said, was pulled with force, drenching several northern states.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
“Tha’s better,” he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching them all.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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