soak

[ sohk ]

/ soʊk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soak ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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.

to be thoroughly wet.

to penetrate or become known to the mind or feelings (followed by in): The lesson didn't soak in.

Informal. to drink immoderately, especially alcoholic beverages: They were soaking at the bar.

verb (used with object)

to place or keep in liquid in order to saturate thoroughly; steep.

to wet thoroughly; saturate or drench.

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 by out): to soak a stain out of a napkin.

Slang. to overcharge: He was soaked by the waiter.

noun

the act or state of soaking or the state of being soaked.

the liquid in which anything is soaked.

Slang. 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 Phrases

soak up,

to absorb or take in or up by absorption: Blotting paper soaks up ink.
to absorb with one's mind or senses; take in: to soak up information.
Slang. to drink to excess: He can really soak up the booze.

Nearby words

so what, so-and-so, so-called, so-so, so., soak, soak up, soakage, soakaway, soaked, soaked to the skin

Origin of soak

before 1000; Middle English soken, Old English sōcian; akin to suck

SYNONYMS FOR soak

2, 4 seep.

7 See wet.

8 infuse, penetrate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soak ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR soak

7 dry.

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Related forms

soak·er, nounsoak·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·soak, verbre·soak, verb

un·soaked, adjectivewell-soaked, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for soak

Spring is starting to arrive, and we plan to soak up as much sun as our vitamin-D-deficient bodies can handle.
New York City’s Best New Hotspots This Spring|Sara Sayed, Valeriya Safronova|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It had a festive air last Sunday as residents flooded into the spotlessly clean park to soak up the first rays of spring.
Is Kharkiv Ukraine’s Next Tipping Point?|Vijai Maheshwari|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First, soak in this description of Christmas Pie, a traditional British dish that makes a Turducken seem modest.
How George Washington Celebrated Christmas|John Avlon|December 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We say goodbye to Romain and head to a sandwich shop nearby to soak up some of the alcohol.
Look Out! There’s a Craft-Beer Revolution Taking Over France|Jeff Campagna|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The rough edges of the lobster will help it soak up the other flavors.
Three Quinoa Recipes for Your Weekend Parties|Jane Coxwell|May 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Soak them in salt and water a day, then in fair water three or four hours, changing the water several times.
The American Housewife|Anonymous
Cottolene heats to a higher temperature than butter or lard, and cooks so quickly the fat has no chance to soak in.
Fifty-Two Sunday Dinners|Elizabeth O. Hiller
I'll see if Bunny is coming after I put your clothes to soak.
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue Keeping Store|Laura Lee Hope
Soak a package of gelatine in a cupful of cold water and dissolve by gentle heat.
The Myrtle Reed Cook Book|Myrtle Reed
Every day we put twenty-five in soak for each man, which, with us, makes 150.
Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life, Travel & Exploration|W. B. Lord

British Dictionary definitions for soak

soak

/ (səʊk) /

verb

to make, become, or be thoroughly wet or saturated, esp by immersion in a liquid

(when intr, usually foll by in or into) (of a liquid) to penetrate or permeate

(tr; usually foll by in or up) (of a permeable solid) to take in (a liquid) by absorptionthe earth soaks up rainwater

(tr; foll by out or out of) to remove by immersion in a liquidshe 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

(tr) US and Canadian slang to overcharge

(tr) British slang 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 (def. 3)

British informal a heavy rainfall

slang a person who drinks to excess

Derived Formssoaker, nounsoaking, noun, adjective

Word Origin for soak

Old English sōcian to cook; see suck

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

Word Origin and History for soak

soak

Old English socian (intransitive) "to soak, to lie in liquid," from Proto-Germanic *sukon (cf. West Flemish soken), possibly from PIE *sug-, from root *seue- (2) "to take liquid" (see sup (v.2)). Transitive sense "drench, permeate thoroughly" is from mid-14c.; that of "cause to lie in liquid" is from early 15c. Meaning "take up by absorption" is from 1550s. Slang meaning "to overcharge" first recorded 1895. Related: Soaked; soaking. As a noun, mid-15c., from the verb.

soak

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Origin of soak

Examples from the Web for soak

British Dictionary definitions for soak

soak

verb

noun

Word Origin for soak

Word Origin and History for soak

soak