soak
Americanverb (used without object)
-
soaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
soaked,
past participle, past
-
soaking
present participle
-
to lie in and become saturated or permeated with water or some other liquid.
-
to pass, as a liquid, through pores, holes, or the like.
The rain soaked through the tear in the umbrella.
- Synonyms:
- seep
-
to be thoroughly wet.
Her shoes and socks were soaking and her feet were freezing.
-
to penetrate or become known to the mind or feelings (followed byin ).
The lesson didn't soak in.
- Synonyms:
- seep
-
Informal. to drink immoderately, especially alcoholic beverages.
They were soaking at the bar.
verb (used with object)
-
soaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
soaked,
past participle, past
-
soaking
present participle
-
to place or keep in liquid in order to saturate thoroughly; steep.
-
to wet thoroughly; saturate or drench.
- Antonyms:
- dry
-
to permeate thoroughly, as liquid or moisture does.
-
Metallurgy. to heat (a piece) for reworking.
-
Informal. to intoxicate (oneself ) by drinking an excess of liquor.
-
Slang. to beat hard; punish severely.
I was soaked for that mistake.
-
to extract or remove by or as by soaking (often followed byout ).
to soak a stain out of a napkin.
-
Slang. to overcharge.
He was soaked by the waiter.
noun
-
soaks
plural
-
the act or state of soaking or the state of being soaked.
-
the liquid in which anything is soaked.
-
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated; a heavy drinker.
-
Australian. any small area of land, as near a spring or at the foot of a hill, that becomes swamplike or holds water after a period of heavy rain.
verb phrase
verb
-
to make, become, or be thoroughly wet or saturated, esp by immersion in a liquid
-
(of a liquid) to penetrate or permeate
-
(tr; usually foll by in or up) (of a permeable solid) to take in (a liquid) by absorption
the earth soaks up rainwater
-
(tr; foll by out or out of) to remove by immersion in a liquid
she soaked the stains out of the dress
-
(tr) metallurgy to heat (a metal) prior to working
-
informal to drink excessively or make or become drunk
-
slang (tr) to overcharge
-
slang (tr) to put in pawn
noun
-
the act of immersing in a liquid or the period of immersion
-
the liquid in which something may be soaked, esp a solution containing detergent
-
another name for soakage
-
informal a heavy rainfall
-
slang a person who drinks to excess
Synonym Usage
See wet.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
soakernoun
-
soakingnoun
-
oversoakverb
-
resoakverb
-
unsoakedadjective
-
well-soakedadjective
-
soakinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
soaksimple
-
soakssimple
-
have soakedperfect
-
has soakedperfect
-
am soakingprogressive
-
are soakingprogressive
-
is soakingprogressive
-
have been soakingperfect progressive
-
has been soakingperfect progressive
Past
-
soakedsimple
-
had soakedperfect
-
was soakingprogressive
-
were soakingprogressive
-
had been soakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of soak
First recorded before 1000; Middle English soken, Old English sōcian; akin to suck
Explanation
To soak something is to submerge it into water. Before you cook dry beans, you soak them overnight first. If you’re not a bean, you can also soak up a cool experience by immersing yourself in it. You can soak your dirty laundry in soapy water, or soak rice before you cook it, and you can also soak in a bubble bath. When you do this, you give these things (including yourself) a soak. Informally, the verb also means "immerse in an activity or experience," like when you soak up the applause after your masterful violin performance.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I love places where you can sit for a while, people-watch and soak up the city’s energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
People can also soak their clothing in cold water or apply an iced or chilled damp towel on their body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The goal is a quick dip, not a hot-tub soak: enough liquid to soften the interior of the bread while leaving plenty of edges available to crisp.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
The deer eat fire-resilient chaparral and other native plants, making way for invasive annual grasses, which ignite more easily, increase erosion and leave less water to soak into aquifers, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
He needs half a roll to soak up the milk.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
Before running them through the dishwasher, he soaks and scrubs off the most stubborn jams and sauces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
She really soaks up a vibe that you would never have access to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
Anything that adds ballast and soaks up the warm bits without overpowering them earns a spot here.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
That weak carbonic acid ultimately soaks into the soil, full of carbon dioxide.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2025
She soaks her feet in balms of herb water, plays cards past midnight, eats oranges under a full moon.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
His passenger arrives—a young woman in high heels, shrouded in perfume and soaked by the rain, reassuring someone on the phone that she’ll be home soon—and the taxi rolls off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Kosin and his family lifted their belongings once they saw the water level was higher than the canal retaining wall, but their ground floor was still left soaked.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Turner played with Donald as a rookie in 2023 and soaked up as much as he could from the eight-time All-Pro before ascending to become a team leader.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
I showed up to the appointment late, soaked, and embarrassed.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
The lawn, still soaked in pools of mud from the storms, looked like the Florida Everglades.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The primary suite serves as its own private retreat and features an en suite bathroom with a soaking tub, double sinks, and a full-body spray shower.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Delafield Hotel is a charming boutique property with massive rooms, comfortable beds and bathrooms outfitted with Kohler rain showers and soaking hydrotherapy tubs.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
For a fighter who has never hidden her dislike of media interviews, there was something striking about the confidence with which she walked around the ring, microphone in hand, soaking up the final moments.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Trump, soaking in the praise from his aides and the guests, crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, people familiar with the event said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Mr. T also figured if we went out and got soaking wet first thing, we’d be miserable for the rest of the day.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
