51Թ

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View synonyms for

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

/ ɪ /

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. 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. to draw off or remove (liquid) from

    to drain water from vegetables

    to drain vegetables

  2. 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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Other 51Թ Forms

  • drainable adjective
  • drainer noun
  • overdrain verb
  • undrainable adjective
  • undrained adjective
  • well-drained adjective
  • ˈԲ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of drain1

before 1000; Middle English dreynen, Old English ŧԾ, ŧԾ to strain, filter; akin to dry
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of drain1

Old English ŧԾ; 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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Withdrawals from inherited retirement accounts are usually taxable as income, and most non-spouse inheritors must drain a retirement account within 10 years.

From

So inevitably, there has been a talent drain towards franchise cricket, frequently ensuring the most talented players are not always available for Test commitments.

From

Katherine Hill put the money in an instant access Barclays Everyday Saver account, despite being advised not to, and both she and her dad had cards to access it - draining the contents within a year.

From

Buttler, who has said he was drained by the end of his captaincy at the Champions Trophy, took 12 from his first 11 balls before playing an outrageous reverse scoop to Andre Russell's seam.

From

Fewer resources means this financially draining and emotionally wrenching situation will become more common — perhaps even the norm.

From

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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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