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 by off ).

   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

Explanation

A siphon is a device used to move liquid from one container to the other. If you're giving your goldfish a magnificent new bowl, you can use a siphon to move the water from the old one to the new. A siphon is a tube running from one container to another that uses gravity to cause liquid to flow. The key is that the container with the liquid has to be at a higher level than the container you’re moving the liquid to. You have to use force to start the initial flow, but after that gravity takes over. We also use siphon as a verb, for the process of emptying. An endless meeting might siphon off all your energy.

Example Sentences

Siphon first took to the streets in 2024 to demonstrate against a quota system for coveted government jobs, which many said favored those with connections.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Now, Siphon fears that the sacrifices of protesters like Sayed will be for nothing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Siphon off the brine from whatever pickled foods you might have around, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what it does to your salad dressing or pan sauce.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2020

Concert Industry Struggles With ‘Bots’ That Siphon Off Tickets As the summer concert season approaches, music fans and the concert industry that serves them have a common enemy in New York.

From New York Times • May 27, 2013

Siphon, sī′fun, n. a bent tube for drawing off liquids from one vessel into another.—v.t. to convey by means of a siphon.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various