drain

[ dreyn ]

/ dreɪn /

verb (used with object)

to withdraw or draw off (a liquid) gradually; remove slowly or by degrees, as by filtration: to drain oil from a crankcase.

to withdraw liquid gradually from; make empty or dry by drawing off liquid: to drain a crankcase.

to exhaust the resources of: to drain the treasury.

to deprive of strength; tire.

verb (used without object)

to flow off gradually.

to become empty or dry by the gradual flowing off of liquid or moisture: This land drains into the Mississippi.

noun

something, as a pipe or conduit, by which a liquid drains.

Surgery. a material or appliance for maintaining the opening of a wound to permit free exit of fluids.

gradual or continuous outflow, withdrawal, or expenditure.

something that causes a large or continuous outflow, expenditure, or depletion: Medical expenses were a major drain on his bank account.

an act of draining.

Physical Geography.

an artificial watercourse, as a ditch or trench.
a natural watercourse modified to increase its flow of water.

Nearby words

dragsville, draguignan, dragée, drahthaar, drail, drain, drain rod, drainage, drainage basin, drainage tube, drainage wind

Idioms

go down the drain,

to become worthless or profitless.
to go out of existence; disappear.

Origin of drain

before 1000; Middle English dreynen, Old English drēhnian, drēahnian to strain, filter; akin to dry

Related forms

drain·a·ble, adjectivedrain·er, nouno·ver·drain, verbun·drain·a·ble, adjective

un·drained, adjectivewell-drained, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for go down the drain

drain

/ (dreɪn) /

noun

a pipe or channel that carries off water, sewage, etc

an instance or cause of continuous diminution in resources or energy; depletion

surgery a device, such as a tube, for insertion into a wound, incision, or bodily cavity to drain off pus, etc

electronics the electrode region in a field-effect transistor into which majority carriers flow from the interelectrode conductivity channel

down the drain wasted

verb

(tr often foll by off) to draw off or remove (liquid) fromto drain water from vegetables; to drain vegetables

(intr often foll by away) to flow (away) or filter (off)

(intr) to dry or be emptied as a result of liquid running off or flowing awayleave the dishes to drain

(tr) to drink the entire contents of (a glass, cup, etc)

(tr) to consume or make constant demands on (resources, energy, etc); exhaust; sap

(intr) to disappear or leave, esp graduallythe colour drained from his face

(tr) (of a river, etc) to carry off the surface water from (an area)

(intr) (of an area) to discharge its surface water into rivers, streams, etc

Derived Forms

drainable, adjective

Word Origin for drain

Old English drēahnian; related to Old Norse drangr dry wood; see dry

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

Medicine definitions for go down the drain

drain

[ drān ]

n.

A device, such as a tube, inserted into the opening of a wound or into a body or dental cavity to facilitate discharge of fluid or purulent material.

drain

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of drain

Related forms

British Dictionary definitions for go down the drain

drain

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for drain

Medicine definitions for go down the drain

drain

n.

v.

Idioms and Phrases with go down the drain (1 of 2)

go down the drain

Idioms and Phrases with go down the drain (2 of 2)

drain