drench

American  

[drench] / drɛntʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to wet thoroughly; soak.

2. to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.

3. to cover or fill completely; bathe.

   trees drenched with sunlight.

4. Veterinary Medicine. to administer a draft of medicine to (an animal), especially by force.

   to drench a horse.

5. Archaic. to cause to drink.

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noun

1. the act of drenching.

2. something that drenches.

   a drench of rain.

3. a preparation for drenching or steeping.

4. a solution, especially one of fermenting bran, for drenching hides or skins.

5. a large drink or draft.

6. a draft of medicine, especially one administered to an animal by force.

7. Horticulture. a mixture of pesticide and water applied to the soil surrounding a plant.

drench British  

/ drɛntʃ /

verb

1. to make completely wet; soak

2. to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force

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noun

1. the act or an instance of drenching

2. a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal

Usage

What does drench mean? To drench is to soak with a liquid, as in The rain drenched me from head to foot. Often, drench is used in reference to rain, bodies of water, or a spill of some kind. To drench is also to saturate with liquid. When you saturate, or drench, a sponge with water, for example, you add as much water as the sponge can hold. Figuratively, to drench is also to cover or fill completely, such as drenching a plant with sunlight by placing the plant in a sunny window. You might also be drenched in a strong emotion, such as joy or sadness. In other words, you’re full of that joy or sadness. A drench is a large amount of liquid that is poured or dropped onto something, such as rain during a powerful rain storm. Drench is also the specific act of drenching something. Example: The rain is going to absolutely drench the clothes hanging on the laundry line.

Related Words

See wet.

Other Word Forms

• drencher noun
• drenching noun
• drenchingly adverb
• undrenched adjective

Etymology

Origin of drench

First recorded before 900; Middle English drenchen, Old English drencan, causative of drincan “to drink” ( drink ); cognate with Dutch drenken, German tränken “to water, give to drink”

Explanation

To drench something is to get it thoroughly wet. You might drench your sister with the garden hose to pay her back for squirting you with her water pistol. When you're sailing a small boat on a stormy day, waves might drench you, and a torrential rain storm can also drench you, if you leave your umbrella at home. If your dog is crazy about swimming, he might drench himself often by plunging into whatever body of water you're near. Drench comes from the Old English drencan, which means both "submerge or drown" and "give drink to or make drunk."

Example Sentences

Showers that don’t drench you or flood the bathroom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Moderate to major coastal flooding could drench roads and waterfront property from Delaware to Cape Cod.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Ragasa is not expected to hit Taiwan directly but is set to drench the island's east coast with heavy rains.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2025

Instead, he wandered out into the rain and sat still, letting the water drench his body.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2024

Then you drench the place with chemicals and fumes.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• deluge
• douse
• drown
• immerse
• impregnate
• inundate
• saturate
• soak
• steep
• submerge