siphon
noun
si·phon
| \ ˈsī-fən
\
\
variants:
or less commonly syphon
Definition of siphon
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow
b
usually syphon
: a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened
2
: any of various tubular organs in animals and especially mollusks or arthropods that are used for drawing in or ejecting fluids
siphon
verb
variants:
or less commonly syphon
siphoned
also syphoned;
siphoning
also syphoning\ ˈsī-fə-niŋ
, ˈsīf-niŋ \
, ˈsīf-niŋ \
Definition of siphon (Entry 2 of 2)
: to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon
—often used with off
: to pass by or as if by a siphon
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Synonyms & Antonyms for siphon
Synonyms: Verb
bleed, draft, drain, draw (off), pump, tap
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of siphon in a Sentence
Verb
The water needs to be siphoned from the pool. She illegally siphoned money out of other people's bank accounts. Funds were siphoned from the schools to build a new stadium. The large chain stores are siphoning profits from the small local stores.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Its tubular siphon, which can grow to be 3 feet long, is an easy target for anatomical jokes. — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "This Centuries-Old Geoduck Shell May Rewrite the Rules About Who Can Harvest the Fancy Clam," 27 Aug. 2019 Replete with exterior walls, a functioning lime-green kitchen, a dining room with a table and a soda siphon, a living room with a fireplace and hardwood floors, wainscoting and whatnot. — chicagotribune.com, "The 5 hottest shows to see now," 22 Aug. 2019 Unlike its relatives in the Hemiptera family, the insect lacks the ability to suck, preferring to munch on high-pressure plants that allow the sap to flow, like a siphon, through its mouth and into its stomach. — Claire Marie Porter, WIRED, "This Voracious, Unstoppable Bug Is Killing Off Vineyards," 2 Aug. 2019 Prosecutors have been investigating similar issues at Goldman, where Mr. Leissner, a former managing director, pleaded guilty last year and admitted to earlier helping siphon off billions of dollars from the fund. — Jenny Strasburg, WSJ, "U.S. Investigating Deutsche Bank’s Dealings With Malaysian Fund 1MDB," 10 July 2019 To their surprise, the new snails kept their siphons wrapped up much longer after a shock, almost as if they’d been trained. — Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, "Scientists Made Snails Remember Something That Never Happened to Them," 15 May 2018 The squid can also use the siphon to propel its way through water backward. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "Monterey Bay Aquarium takes Apple to task for its backward squid emoji," 5 Dec. 2018 Choose from pour over, Chemex, Clever, siphon,drip, woodneck, French press, or espresso. — Catherine Strawn, Country Living, "Is Columbus, Ohio America's Next Great Coffee City?," 1 Oct. 2014 Goldman’s former chairman of Southeast Asia, pleaded guilty in August to conspiring to launder money and violate foreign antibribery laws for helping siphon billions of dollars from the bond deals, according to filings made public last week. — Liz Hoffman, WSJ, "Goldman Sachs’s Ex-CEO Lloyd Blankfein Met Malaysian at Center of 1MDB Scandal," 9 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The entire complex was to be razed next year and replaced by a new, 35,000-square-foot dining facility across the street — until President Trump siphoned money from the Pentagon to pay for the administration’s priority of building a border wall. — Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, "Replacement delayed by border wall, Camp Bullis’ vintage dining hall still feeds GIs," 7 Sep. 2019 The leech uses its teeth to bite and siphon blood from its prey - usually frogs, fish and tadpoles, along with the occasional human, Phillips said. — oregonlive, "New species of bloodsucking leech with 3 jaws, 59 teeth found in Maryland," 2 Sep. 2019 The few nonalcoholic drinks available tended to taste as if they had been siphoned from a kindergarten juice pouch. — M. Carrie Allan, The Denver Post, "No alcohol, no problem: How to make complex, balanced zero-proof cocktails," 23 Aug. 2019 The few nonalcoholic drinks available tended to taste as if they had been siphoned from a kindergarten juice pouch. — M. Carrie Allan, Twin Cities, "No alcohol, no problem: How to make complex, balanced zero-proof cocktails," 19 Aug. 2019 The hope is that the money can’t be siphoned off by corrupt politicians or be misappropriated and given to the families of terrorists – a tactic used openly by the Palestinians. — Fox News, "Trump to pitch Israeli-Palestinian peace plan at Camp David summit with Arab leaders: reports," 31 July 2019 The upwelling brine also contains some methane that could be siphoned off and burned. — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, "Climate Solution: Use Carbon Dioxide to Generate Electricity," 17 July 2019 There were reports that $2.5m in national park receipts had been siphoned off to help foot the jamboree’s bill, and that Mr Trump’s tanks could damage the underground vaults of the Lincoln Memorial. — The Economist, "Donald Trump: foreign policy showman," 3 July 2019 Mexico’s banking commission said most of the money was siphoned off to a pair of companies connected to Olvera, who shortly after the insolvency moved to the U.S. and fought criminal charges in Mexico. — Jason Buch, ExpressNews.com, "Authorities arrest two Mexican businessmen with San Antonio ties," 8 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'siphon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for siphon
siphon
noun
English Language Learners Definition of siphon
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a bent tube used to move a liquid from one container into another container by means of air pressure
siphon
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of siphon (Entry 2 of 2)
: to move (a liquid) from one container to another by using a siphon
: to take and use (something, such as money) for your own purpose
See the full definition for siphon in the English Language Learners Dictionary
siphon
noun
si·phon
| \ ˈsī-fən\
Kids Definition of siphon
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a bent pipe or tube through which a liquid can be drawn by air pressure up and over the edge of a container
2
: a tubelike part especially of a mollusk (as a clam) usually used to draw in or squirt out water
siphon
verb
siphoned;
siphoning
Kids Definition of sip