French drain

American  

noun

1. a drainage trench filled to ground level with fragments of brick, rock, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of French drain

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

A linear French drain is like a gutter in the ground.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2024

I rumble down there in my noisy gas-powered cart, and there was Jack, his ball resting on a French drain, the status of which had been classified differently over the years.

From Golf Digest • Jun. 25, 2019

Often on my jobs, I’d install a hidden linear French drain in the bottom of the swale to capture underground water flowing through the soil.

From Washington Post • Jan. 5, 2016

She used many perennial plants that don’t need maintenance and made a French drain using sand and gravel so water would go back into the ground.

From Washington Times • Sep. 28, 2014

She asked me to fix the kink in the hose that runs from the humidifier in our basement to the French drain.

From Time • Aug. 19, 2014