siphon

American  

[sahy-fuhn] / ˈsaɪ fən /

Or syphon

noun

1. a tube or conduit bent into legs of unequal length, for use in drawing a liquid from one container into another on a lower level by placing the shorter leg into the container above and the longer leg into the one below, the liquid being forced up the shorter leg and into the longer one by the pressure of the atmosphere.

2. siphon bottle.

3. a projecting tubular part of some animals, especially certain mollusks, through which liquid enters or leaves the body.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to convey, draw, or pass through or as if through a siphon (sometimes followed byoff ).

   to siphon water; to siphon off profits into a secret bank account.

siphon British  

/ saɪˈfɒnɪk, ˈsaɪfən /

noun

1. a tube placed with one end at a certain level in a vessel of liquid and the other end outside the vessel below this level, so that liquid pressure forces the liquid through the tube and out of the vessel by gravity

2. See soda siphon

3. zoology any of various tubular organs in different aquatic animals, such as molluscs and elasmobranch fishes, through which a fluid, esp water, passes

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verb

1. (often foll by off) to pass or draw off through or as if through a siphon

siphon Scientific  

/ sī′fən /

1. A pipe or tube in the form of an upside-down U, filled with liquid and arranged so that the pressure of the atmosphere forces liquid to flow upward from a container through the tube, over a barrier, and into a lower container.

2. A tubular animal part, as of a clam, through which water is taken in or expelled.

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Other Word Forms

• pseudosiphonal adjective
• pseudosiphonic adjective
• siphonage noun
• siphonal adjective
• siphonic adjective
• siphonless adjective
• siphonlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of siphon

1650–60; < Latin sīphōn- (stem of sīphō ) < Greek síphōn, sī́phōn pipe, tube

Example Sentences

Each pay period, the money arrived and then vanished almost immediately, siphoned off by a stack of cash-advance apps that automatically withdrew what she owed.

From MarketWatch

The longer this money resides in your sister’s bank account, the more opportunity she will have to siphon it away or spend it.

From MarketWatch

Citing a government estimate, they warned senators that some $6.6 trillion in deposits could be at risk of being siphoned out of the traditional financial system.

From The Wall Street Journal

The video YouTuber Nick Shirley posted just after Christmas alleged widespread fraud at day cares in Minnesota that were siphoning government funds but not providing care for any children at all.

From Salon

Beijing has disclosed—and the Journal has previously reported—that many officers were buying and selling ranks, siphoning funds meant for arms procurement and improperly leasing military land for property projects.

From The Wall Street Journal