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definitions

drown

[ droun ]
/ draʊn /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR drown ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to die under water or other liquid of suffocation.

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

drown in,
  1. to be overwhelmed by: The company is drowning in bad debts.
  2. to be covered with or enveloped in: The old movie star was drowning in mink.

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RELATED WORDS

hush, muffle

Nearby words

  1. drouth,
  2. drouthy,
  3. drove,
  4. drover,
  5. droves,
  6. drown one's sorrows,
  7. drown out,
  8. drowned valley,
  9. drownproof,
  10. drownproofing

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
Related formsdrown·er, nounhalf-drowned, adjectivehalf-drown·ing, adjectiveun·drowned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for drown out

drown

/ (draʊn) /

verb

to die or kill by immersion in liquid
(tr) to destroy or get rid of as if by submerginghe drowned his sorrows in drink
(tr) to drench thoroughly; inundate; flood
(tr sometimes foll by out) to render (a sound) inaudible by making a loud noise
Derived Formsdrowner, noun

Word Origin for drown

C13: probably from Old English druncnian; related to Old Norse drukna to be drowned
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
Word Origin and History for drown out

drown

v.

c.1300, transitive and intransitive, perhaps from an unrecorded derivative word of Old English druncnian (Middle English druncnen) "be swallowed up by water" (originally of ships as well as living things), probably from the base of drincan "to drink."

Modern form is from northern England dialect, probably influenced by Old Norse drukna "be drowned." Related: Drowned; drowning.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with drown out

drown out

Overwhelm with a louder sound, as in Their cries were drowned out by the passing train. [Early 1600s]

drown

In addition to the idioms beginning with drown

  • drown one's sorrows
  • drown out

also see:

  • like a drowned rat
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.