drown
Americanverb (used without object)
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drowns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drowned,
past participle, past
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drowning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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drowns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drowned,
past participle, past
-
drowning
present participle
-
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.
-
to flood or inundate.
-
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
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to render (a sound) inaudible by making a loud noise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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drownsimple
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drownssimple
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have drownedperfect
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has drownedperfect
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am drowningprogressive
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are drowningprogressive
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is drowningprogressive
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have been drowningperfect progressive
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has been drowningperfect progressive
Past
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drownedsimple
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had drownedperfect
-
was drowningprogressive
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were drowningprogressive
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had been drowningperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
The verb drown means to die from inhaling water into the lungs and being unable to breathe. It is possible to drown in even a small amount of water, so it's important to learn proper water safety. You can also use this verb with a direct object: for example, a flash flood might drown animals that live near a river. You can drown things in a less literal way as well. If you drink alcoholic beverages to forget your troubles, for example, you can say you're trying to "drown your sorrows." If you're submerged in a tidal wave of school assignments, then you are "drowning in work."
Vocabulary lists containing drown
"Old World New World" and "The Log of Christopher Columbus"
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 8
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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:
Smaller businesses drown in paperwork while industry struggles with high energy and operating costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The agency told drivers: “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” as most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Choi’s advice was to go the other direction: blister them, puree them, drown them in vinegar or chili, add something sweet, blend them into sauces, make them taste like the foods you already crave.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Firstly, there was anger that it would drown out a conference that has been months in the planning.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Over and over to drown out the negative voice.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
The crowd drowns in the second-long tension as they sit below teardrop-shaped papier-mâché stalactite hanging from handmade alien geodes on the ceiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Today, the view takes in one of Europe's largest logistics hubs and key transport routes between Rotterdam and Belgium, the rumble of passing trucks drowns out the birdsong.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
She simply drowns them out with the sound machine as she drifts into a deep sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
But I have quite enjoyed the platform’s small selection, because it spares me from the paralysis of endless choice that drowns me on Netflix.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2025
Grief is an ocean, and guilt the undertow that pulls me beneath the waves and drowns me.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
The executives in charge of programming know that these movies will get watched simply because they’re on Netflix, and then they will be drowned by another wave of content.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
In June, a 5-year-old girl from San Bernardino drowned in Laguna Beach after she was pulled into the ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
As they continued into their first set of songs, it became apparent that the volume on their microphones was a bit low, leaving lyrics drowned in the rest of the mix.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
At least 35 people have drowned so far during record-breaking heatwaves according to data by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“What about the time you almost drowned trying to catch fish with that new kind of net you invented?”
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
On Amazon, you can get blue-blockers for $20—if you want to be a sucker whose eyes are drowning in other short-wavelength light!
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
I am drowning in debt, as the old saying goes, and I need to take action.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
He was found dead six days later in the water tunnel in the north of the city, which leads into Belfast Lough, with the cause of death found to be drowning.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
In a news release, officials said an unidentified person who reported a possible drowning said White appeared to have an “unknown emergency” after entering the state’s largest reservoir to save the animal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
In his fright he scrambled over the safety barrier that had been put there to stop chimps drowning in the deep water beyond.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
