drown

[ droun ]

verb (used without object)

1. to die under water or other liquid of suffocation.

verb (used with object)

1. to kill by submerging under water or other liquid.
2. to destroy or get rid of by, or as if by, immersion:

   He drowned his sorrows in drink.

3. to flood or inundate.

   Synonyms: soak, drench, submerge, engulf, deluge

4. to overwhelm so as to render inaudible, as by a louder sound (often followed by out ).
5. to add too much water or liquid to (a drink, food, or the like).
6. to slake (lime) by covering with water and letting stand.

verb phrase

1. 1. to be overwhelmed by:

      The company is drowning in bad debts.

   2. to be covered with or enveloped in:

      The old movie star was drowning in mink.

drown

/ draʊn /

verb

1. to die or kill by immersion in liquid
2. tr to destroy or get rid of as if by submerging

   he drowned his sorrows in drink

3. tr to drench thoroughly; inundate; flood
4. trsometimes foll byout to render (a sound) inaudible by making a loud noise

Derived Forms

• ˈdrowner, noun

Other Words From

• drowner noun
• half-drowned adjective
• half-drowning adjective
• un·drowned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drown¹

1250–1300; Middle English drounnen, Old English druncnian, perhaps by loss of c between nasals and shift of length from nn to ou

Word History and Origins

Origin of drown¹

C13: probably from Old English druncnian; related to Old Norse drukna to be drowned

Idioms and Phrases

• like a drowned rat

Example Sentences

Weston, a former British Gas executive, was hired in January this year to try and turn around the fortunes of a company drowning in debts of £18bn.

From BBC

While “Wicked” doesn’t need to be the same technicolor utopia as “The Wizard of Oz,” the movie often leaves its characters drowned out by perplexing lighting design.

From Salon

“As much as I’d wanted the relationship to work — I always felt as though I was drowning.”

From New York Times

He had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and was found to have drowned in a hot tub.

From Salon

The nurse told another colleague "if she were my daughter, I would’ve drowned her at birth" in reference to someone she was entrusted with taking care of.

From BBC

Related Words

• douse
• drench
• engulf
• flood
• go down
• immerse
• inundate
• sink
• soak
• suffocate
• swamp
• wipe out