Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for "syphon"

syphon

British  
/ ˈsaɪfən /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of siphon

"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

Explanation

A tube that's used to move liquid up and out of a container is known as a syphon. One way to remove water from a flooded basement is to use a powerful syphon. The word syphon, also spelled siphon, comes from a Greek root meaning "pipe" or "tube for drawing wine from a cask." Syphons work using the power of gravity to pull liquid out of one container and into another. The word is also a verb, meaning "to move using a syphon." Figuratively, you can use it for other kinds of emptying, like when you syphon coins out of your brother's piggy bank.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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:

It says any that escapes from the farm should be starved the nutrients the team plans to syphon up from the ocean depths to feed their crop.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2022

They don’t have any NFL games early Sunday evening to syphon viewers into the awards show like Fox did last year, giving it a bump.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 20, 2016

Erminio pops it under the syphon and Ceil hands it to me.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2012

A containment cap was then lowered on to the freshly cut end of the pipe, and BP now hopes to syphon oil up to the surface.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 4, 2010

I syphon a quart of green goo out of a barrel in the hold and return to the lab.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com