drown
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to kill by submerging under water or other liquid.
-
to destroy or get rid of by, or as if by, immersion.
He drowned his sorrows in drink.
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to flood or inundate.
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to overwhelm so as to render inaudible, as by a louder sound (often followed byout ).
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to add too much water or liquid to (a drink, food, or the like).
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to slake (lime) by covering with water and letting stand.
verb phrase
verb
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to die or kill by immersion in liquid
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(tr) to destroy or get rid of as if by submerging
he drowned his sorrows in drink
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(tr) to drench thoroughly; inundate; flood
-
to render (a sound) inaudible by making a loud noise
Other Word Forms
- drowner noun
- half-drowned adjective
- half-drowning adjective
- undrowned adjective
Etymology
Origin of drown
1250–1300; Middle English drounnen, Old English druncnian, perhaps by loss of c between nasals and shift of length from nn to ou
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.
The result is a deepening crisis of trust as hyper-realistic AI fabrications compete for attention with -- and often drown out -- authentic images and videos.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
For others, like cacti and succulents, Clare says we mistakenly drown them by unnecessarily watering them.
From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026
That can be done as simply as bombarding a drone or rocket with signals that drown out the connection to their operator or satellite guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026
I’ve dipped out, cannonballed back in, and kicked my feet so hard trying to tread roiling waters that I thought I’d surely drown before I could rescue myself.
From Salon • Dec. 2, 2025
The memories he’d kept hidden away in the back of his mind came like a flood, threatening to drown him.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
