soak
Americanverb (used without object)
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to lie in and become saturated or permeated with water or some other liquid.
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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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to place or keep in liquid in order to saturate thoroughly; steep.
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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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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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oversoakverb
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soakinglyadverb
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soakernoun
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resoakverb
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well-soakedadjective
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unsoakedadjective
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soakingnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have soakedperfect
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has soakedperfect 3rd person singular
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am soakingprogressive 1st person singular
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are soakingprogressive
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is soakingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been soakingperfect progressive
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soakssingular 3rd person
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has been soakingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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soakingparticiple
Past
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had soakedperfect
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was soakingprogressive singular
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were soakingprogressive plural
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had been soakingperfect progressive
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soakedparticiple
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soakedsimple
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.
The beauty of these ingredients is that they don’t require the long citrus soak associated with traditional ceviche.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
There’s always a band playing, so we just soak it all in.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
With less of a regulatory nudge, companies can soak up round after round of funding from investors looking for exponential returns.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
But it has for years been unable to replicate the retail-banking returns of peers with vast nationwide networks that soak up supercheap checking account deposits.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
“I’ll let these soak for a while. We got time, anyways. Takes about a week for the lacquer to set. When it does, we can put it all back together.”
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
