soak
Americanverb (used without object)
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soaks,
present (3rd person singular)
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soaked,
past participle, past
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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
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to be thoroughly wet.
Her shoes and socks were soaking and her feet were freezing.
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to penetrate or become known to the mind or feelings (followed byin ).
The lesson didn't soak in.
- Synonyms:
- seep
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Informal. to drink immoderately, especially alcoholic beverages.
They were soaking at the bar.
verb (used with object)
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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
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to permeate thoroughly, as liquid or moisture does.
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Metallurgy. to heat (a piece) for reworking.
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Informal. to intoxicate (oneself ) by drinking an excess of liquor.
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Slang. to beat hard; punish severely.
I was soaked for that mistake.
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to extract or remove by or as by soaking (often followed byout ).
to soak a stain out of a napkin.
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Slang. to overcharge.
He was soaked by the waiter.
noun
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soaks
plural
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the act or state of soaking or the state of being soaked.
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the liquid in which anything is soaked.
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Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated; a heavy drinker.
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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
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to make, become, or be thoroughly wet or saturated, esp by immersion in a liquid
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(of a liquid) to penetrate or permeate
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(tr; usually foll by in or up) (of a permeable solid) to take in (a liquid) by absorption
the earth soaks up rainwater
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(tr; foll by out or out of) to remove by immersion in a liquid
she soaked the stains out of the dress
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(tr) metallurgy to heat (a metal) prior to working
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informal to drink excessively or make or become drunk
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slang (tr) to overcharge
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slang (tr) to put in pawn
noun
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the act of immersing in a liquid or the period of immersion
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the liquid in which something may be soaked, esp a solution containing detergent
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another name for soakage
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informal a heavy rainfall
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slang a person who drinks to excess
Synonym Usage
See wet.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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soakernoun
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soakingnoun
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oversoakverb
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resoakverb
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unsoakedadjective
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well-soakedadjective
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soakinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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soaksimple
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soakssimple
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have soakedperfect
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has soakedperfect
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am soakingprogressive
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are soakingprogressive
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is soakingprogressive
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have been soakingperfect progressive
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has been soakingperfect progressive
Past
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soakedsimple
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had soakedperfect
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was soakingprogressive
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were soakingprogressive
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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:
Then fund the donor-advised fund to soak up the conversion income.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
From that point on, Rideaux kept returning to the studio to soak up game, observe Hussle’s creative process and refine his craft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Friday, she said, was the first of the three biggest days for the Fleadh as the main competitions kicked off and even more visitors arrived to soak up the atmosphere.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Batteries can soak up cheap power during times of low demand and discharge power when supplies are tight, or be tapped for services that help keep the grid stable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
They can be moved into the spaces between the fuel rods, where they soak up the neutrons bouncing between them and slow down the reaction.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Battery storage soaks up excess electricity during sunny and windy days and releases the juice later when it is needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
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
The bioswales are designed to collect rainwater so it soaks deep in the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025
Without the daily soaks and carving the totem, Cole found it harder to end each day with his mind clear and still.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
I showed up to the appointment late, soaked, and embarrassed.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
That is better than the 46.3 balls it took to dislodge somebody under Stokes but far behind the 69.5 balls Strauss' side soaked up.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The noodles are springy and dense, meaning they hold their shape nicely when soaked in broth and have a nice chew.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Matters got worse after passersby with guns pinged holes in some of the barrels, and the poisonous stuff soaked about 15 feet down into the desert soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
He stared at the men, a cold fear clamping around his heart as the rain soaked through him.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
“I ended up taking Baby Bash’s kids around during sound check and we rode Shipwreck Rapids three times in a row and were soaking wet, having a blast.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Welsh said staff were "soaking to the skin with sweat working in the restaurant", and he also needed to change his sweat-soaked clothes after eating there.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Even once brought under control, officials have warned it will take weeks or even months of soaking and dousing to prevent the fire from reigniting.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The AI boom is soaking up a disproportionate share of investment and with bond-market jitters worldwide, longer-term interest rates and residential construction are headed in the wrong direction for now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
I’m shaky and I’m soaking wet, but I have my skin.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
