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View synonyms for drain

drain

[ dreyn ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to withdraw or draw off (a liquid) gradually; remove slowly or by degrees, as by filtration:

    to drain oil from a crankcase.

  2. to withdraw liquid gradually from; make empty or dry by drawing off liquid:

    to drain a crankcase.

  3. to exhaust the resources of:

    to drain the treasury.

  4. to deprive of strength; tire.


verb (used without object)

  1. to flow off gradually.
  2. to become empty or dry by the gradual flowing off of liquid or moisture:

    This land drains into the Mississippi.

noun

  1. something, as a pipe or conduit, by which a liquid drains.
  2. Surgery. a material or appliance for maintaining the opening of a wound to permit free exit of fluids.
  3. gradual or continuous outflow, withdrawal, or expenditure.
  4. something that causes a large or continuous outflow, expenditure, or depletion:

    Medical expenses were a major drain on his bank account.

  5. an act of draining.
  6. Physical Geography.
    1. an artificial watercourse, as a ditch or trench.
    2. a natural watercourse modified to increase its flow of water.

drain

/ dreɪn /

noun

  1. a pipe or channel that carries off water, sewage, etc
  2. an instance or cause of continuous diminution in resources or energy; depletion
  3. surgery a device, such as a tube, for insertion into a wound, incision, or bodily cavity to drain off pus, etc
  4. electronics the electrode region in a field-effect transistor into which majority carriers flow from the interelectrode conductivity channel
  5. down the drain
    wasted
“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


verb

  1. troften foll byoff to draw off or remove (liquid) from

    to drain vegetables

    to drain water from vegetables

  2. introften foll byaway to flow (away) or filter (off)
  3. intr to dry or be emptied as a result of liquid running off or flowing away

    leave the dishes to drain

  4. tr to drink the entire contents of (a glass, cup, etc)
  5. tr to consume or make constant demands on (resources, energy, etc); exhaust; sap
  6. intr to disappear or leave, esp gradually

    the colour drained from his face

  7. tr (of a river, etc) to carry off the surface water from (an area)
  8. intr (of an area) to discharge its surface water into rivers, streams, etc
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdrainable, adjective
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Other Words From

  • draina·ble adjective
  • drainer noun
  • over·drain verb
  • un·draina·ble adjective
  • un·drained adjective
  • well-drained adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of drain1

before 1000; Middle English dreynen, Old English drēhnian, drēahnian to strain, filter; akin to dry
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Word History and Origins

Origin of drain1

Old English drēahnian; related to Old Norse drangr dry wood; see dry
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. go down the drain,
    1. to become worthless or profitless.
    2. to go out of existence; disappear.

More idioms and phrases containing drain

see brain drain ; down the drain .
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Example Sentences

If chips get too hot they malfunction, so this is already a major obstacle for further miniaturizing electronics, and it’s also an unsustainable resource drain on big technology companies with lots of hardware.

As decisions are now more likely to come at the last minute and advertisers want buyers to tweak plans much more frequently, it means longer hours and a drain on buyers who say the new expectations are having a negative effect on their mental health.

From Digiday

These efforts will combine to create the most detailed map ever of Miami’s topography, its patchwork of sea walls, and the hidden web of drains, pipes, and pumps that keep its streets dry.

From Quartz

A major remaining source of pollution are storm drains, which allow sewage, toxins, and fertilizer to flow into the river during heavy rains.

The current waste policies are a drain on general funds, are unequipped to meet the city’s zero waste goals and are an unfair burden on those who are excluded.

Drain immediately and immerse the beans in ice water to stop the cooking.

The drain clogs in the shower every few days, and the clump of tangled brown hair is springy between my fingers.

The assumption is that President Obama is a drain on Democrats desperate to survive his unpopular numbers in key states.

Having sufficiently wet ourselves, we viewers are left with a chilling, black-and-white image of blood circling the shower drain.

At the very least, this indictment will be an enormous distraction and drain on Perry's time, money and attention.

The formula would be: “The pump invented—Drain a well ,” or Water raised in a hollow.

The night was pitch-dark, it rained in torrents, there was mud and water everywhere, and the ground was too flat to drain.

Then crouching low, he crossed the room to where the strainer top of the sewer drain was placed in the concrete floor.

A rumbling sound that did not originate in the thunder caps above jerked Black Hood's attention from the drain.

He did not suspect that the quinine went into the fire, and the cholagogue down the drain-pipe from the washstand.

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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.

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