drown

[ droun ]
/ draʊn /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM drown

drown·er, nounhalf-drowned, adjectivehalf-drown·ing, adjectiveun·drowned, adjective

Words nearby drown

drouk, droukit, drouthy, drove, drover, drown, drown one's sorrows, drown out, drowned valley, drownproof, drownproofing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to drown out

hush, muffle

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 forms of drown

drowner, 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

Idioms and Phrases with drown out (1 of 2)

drown out

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

Idioms and Phrases with drown out (2 of 2)

drown
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.