Dictionary.com

drench

[ drench ]
/ drɛntʃ /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: drench / drenched / drenching / drencher on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
noun
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
who
whom
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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”

synonym study for drench

1. See wet.

OTHER WORDS FROM drench

drencher, noundrench·ing·ly, adverbun·drenched, adjective

Words nearby drench

dreidel, dreigh, dreikanter, Dreiser, Dreiser, Theodore, drench, Drenthe, drepanid, Dresden, Dresden china, dress
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT DRENCH

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.

Where does drench come from?

The first records of the term drench come from before the 900s. It ultimately comes from the Old English drincan, meaning “to drink.” In this case, drench and drink are both used to mean “to take liquid.”

In veterinary medicine, to drench an animal is to give the animal a medicine, especially by force. Often, larger animals, such as horses, are drenched.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to drench?

  • drenched (adjective)
  • drencher (noun)
  • drenchingly (adverb)
  • undrenched (adjective)

What are some synonyms for drench?

What are some words that share a root or word element with drench?

What are some words that often get used in discussing drench?

How is drench used in real life?

Drench is commonly used to describe being thoroughly wet.

 

Try using drench!

Is drench used correctly in the following sentence?

If you drench your salad with dressing, all you will taste is the dressing.

Words related to drench

deluge, douse, drown, immerse, impregnate, inundate, saturate, soak, steep, submerge, dip, duck, dunk, flood, imbrue, pour, seethe, sop, souse, teem

How to use drench in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drench

drench
/ (drɛntʃ) /
verb (tr)
to make completely wet; soak
to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force
noun
the act or an instance of drenching
a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal

Derived forms of drench

drencher, noundrenching, noun, adjective

Word Origin for drench

Old English drencan to cause to drink; related to Old High German trenken
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
FEEDBACK