French drain

American  

noun

1. a drainage trench filled to ground level with fragments of brick, rock, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of French drain

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

A team thought they recovered all of this fuel, but they missed about 5,000 gallons which flowed into a French drain and from there into the drinking water well.

From Washington Times • Oct. 14, 2023

A less expensive — and less invasive — solution is putting a French drain and sump pump inside the basement.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2022

I rumble down there in my noisy gas-powered cart, and there was Jack, his ball resting on a French drain, the status of which had been classified differently over the years.

From Golf Digest • Jun. 25, 2019

Often on my jobs, I’d install a hidden linear French drain in the bottom of the swale to capture underground water flowing through the soil.

From Washington Post • Jan. 5, 2016

She asked me to fix the kink in the hose that runs from the humidifier in our basement to the French drain.

From Time • Aug. 19, 2014