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soak

[sohk]

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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.

Origin of soak

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

Related formssoak·er, nounsoak·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·soak, verbre·soak, verbun·soaked, adjectivewell-soaked, adjective

Synonyms for soak

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soak ON THESAURUS.COM

2, 4. seep. 7. See wet. 8. infuse, penetrate.

Antonyms for soak

7. dry.

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

Related Words for soak

bathe, moisten, drink, immerse, marinate, steep, saturate, flood, soften, wash, drown, submerge, absorb, penetrate, dip, dunk, permeate, souse, impregnate, merge

Examples from the Web for soak

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of soak

It's Bill that bled me, and bled me until I've had to soak a mortgage on the ranch.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Soak the beans overnight and then parboil them in soda water.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Such inelastic lessons, given time to soak in, were sobering.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
A smoked tongue should soak in cold water at least all night.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Then soak it in cold water for a quarter of an hour, or more.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for soak

soak

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

v.

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper