drain
verb
\ ˈdrān
\
\
drained;
draining;
drains
Definition of drain
(Entry 1 of 2)
2a
: to draw off (liquid) gradually or completely
drained all the water out of the pool
b
: to cause the gradual disappearance of
drain the region's wealth
c
: to exhaust (see exhaust entry 1 sense 1b) physically or emotionally
feeling drained at the end of a long workday
3a
: to make gradually dry
drain a swamp
b
: to carry away the surface water of
the river that drains the valley
c
: to deplete or empty by or as if by drawing off by degrees or in increments
drained the country of its resources
d
: to empty by drinking the contents of
drain a mug of beer
1a
: to flow off gradually
b
: to disappear gradually : dwindle
his nervousness drained away, as it always did— H. A. Sinclair
2
: to become emptied or freed of liquid by its flowing or dropping
waiting for the tub to drain
3
: to discharge surface or surplus water
drains into the Gulf of Mexico
drain
nounDefinition of drain (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a means (such as a pipe) by which usually liquid matter is drained
2a
: the act of draining
b
: a gradual outflow or withdrawal : depletion
a net drain from the East of five million souls— G. W. Pierson
3
: something that causes depletion : burden
a drain on the city's resources
4
electronics
: an electrode in a field-effect transistor toward which charge carriers move — compare gate, source
down the drain
: to a state of being wasted or irretrievably lost
All their hard work went down the drain.
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Synonyms & Antonyms for drain
Synonyms: Verb
bleed, draft, draw (off), pump, siphon (also syphon), tap
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of drain in a Sentence
Verb
Drain the canned tomatoes before adding them to the pot. The swamp has been drained. I was waiting for the bathtub to drain. The river drains into a lake. Years of civil war have drained the country's resources. The city's emergency fund has been drained. I feel totally drained of energy this evening.Noun
The drain in the bathtub is blocked.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The ponds’ water levels also had been drained down by 5 feet lower. — Martin E. Comas, orlandosentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian: Flooded by Irma in 2017, Orlo Vista spared this time," 4 Sep. 2019 The cyst was drained and a piece cut out to prevent it from accumulating fluid in the future. — David Armstrong, ProPublica, "In Men, It’s Parkinson’s. In Women, It’s Hysteria.," 23 Aug. 2019 Your energies, however, may be drained by a new relationship or unattainable dreams. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for Aug. 23, 2019: Gemini, speak from your heart; Capricorn, think about making key changes," 23 Aug. 2019 Multiple stretches along the South Platte nevertheless are completely drained as urban, agricultural and industrial users siphon water. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "Historic ranch on Colorado’s high plains now holds millions of gallons of water for Denver-area economic development," 17 Aug. 2019 In addition to the hundreds of thousands of acres of marshland that were drained or diked off, the researchers discovered former wetlands that now are forested that were unknown to anybody. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "New maps show how little is left of West Coast estuaries," 17 Aug. 2019 When the pond is drained, a hairy wild man with rusty skin is found. — John Orr, The Mercury News, "On Stage: ‘Iron John’ takes a look at a generation coming to grips with racist past," 13 Aug. 2019 And the emissions of carbon dioxide continues long after the peatlands are drained. — Christopher Flavelle, New York Times, "Climate Change Threatens the World’s Food Supply, United Nations Warns," 8 Aug. 2019 So if, for example, your bank account was drained by identity thieves after the hack, the claim process is probably still worthwhile. — David Z. Morris, Fortune, "Equifax Data Breach Victims Drained Its $31 Million Settlement Fund in a Week," 31 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Ponds form and later drain, hastening the collapse of even more frozen soils. — National Geographic, "https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/how-abrupt-permafrost-thaw-threatens-arctic-feature.html," 16 Aug. 2019 Iron Mountain’s drain on the S&P: 0.08 point, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. — Asjylyn Loder, WSJ, "The Price of Recycled Paper Is Weighing Down This REIT," 11 July 2019 The developer has spent almost $1 million in construction costs for infrastructure like gas, electrical, water, exhaust hood, floor drains, grease traps. — Roland Li, SFChronicle.com, "Chain store bans in San Francisco leave more shops empty, critics say," 7 July 2019 The ducks were crossed Sixth Street to avoid a dog when three of the ducklings fell into a storm drain. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Ducks, stuck, loose: Police rescue 3 ducklings from grate," 30 July 2019 At dusk and into the night, rats scurry in the alley between the church and the jail, darting under doorways and into sewer drains. — Bloomberg News, al.com, "Jeffrey Epstein now sharing a jail with ‘El Chapo’," 10 July 2019 Well, Cleveland Heights is giving you a chance to do some stenciling as an adult -- around storm drains. — cleveland.com, "Annual Cain Park Arts Festival is July 12-14; Wigs for Kids Day 5K takes place July 20; more: Press Run," 5 July 2019 After the storm, a $30-million emergency contract was established between Caltrans and Ames Construction to replace storm drains, rebuild slopes and roadbeds, repave roads and reinstall guardrails and signage, officials said. — Alexa Díaz, latimes.com, "Damaged by storms, a major highway to Idyllwild is closed for the summer," 27 June 2019 Last Thursday, eight ducklings were swept into a storm drain. — The Christian Science Monitor, "What really makes us what we are?," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.