drain

noun
UK: /dreɪn/
US: /dreɪn/

  1. A channel or pipe that carries away wastewater or excess liquid.

    1. The water went down the drain quickly. [ ] [ ]
    2. The plumber cleared the drain to stop the kitchen sink from overflowing. [ ] [ ]

  2. Something that depletes resources, energy, or money.

    1. That old car is a drain on my finances. [ ] [ ]
    2. The constant repairs on the house became a significant drain on their savings. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

sap deplete empty sewer channel exhaust withdraw consume pipe discharge
drain verb

  1. To cause liquid to flow away from something.

    1. Drain the pasta after it's cooked. [ ] [ ]
    2. Please drain the excess water from the vegetables after washing them. [ ] [ ]

  2. To gradually use up someone's strength or resources.

    1. The long hours at work really drain me. [ ] [ ]
    2. Dealing with constant complaints can drain your energy and enthusiasm. [ ] [ ]

  3. To flow away or out.

    1. The water drains slowly from this sink. [ ] [ ]
    2. After the rain stopped, the excess water began to drain from the field. [ ] [ ]
drain transitive-verb

  1. To empty or become empty of liquid.

    1. The pool is drain and waiting to be cleaned. [ ] [ ]
    2. The glass was drain of wine before he even tasted the food. [ ] [ ]
drain intransitive-verb

  1. To become gradually empty.

    1. The color began to drain from his face. [ ] [ ]
    2. Her patience began to drain as the children continued to misbehave. [ ] [ ]
drain transitive-verb

  1. To cause a person or animal to become physically weaker and tired.

    1. The sickness will drain him of his strength. [ ] [ ]
    2. A long illness can really drain a person, making them feel very tired. [ ] [ ]
drain phrasal-verb

  1. Empty all the liquid from something.

    1. Can you drain the sink after you wash the dishes? [ ] [ ]
    2. We need to drain the pool before we can clean the tile properly. [ ] [ ]
drain idiom

  1. To use up all of something.

    1. Don't drain my patience, I'm already stressed. [ ] [ ]
    2. We need to save water, we don't want to drain our resources. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "drain" in English means: A channel or pipe that carries away wastewater or excess liquid., Something that depletes resources, energy, or money..

The phonetic transcription of "drain" is /dreɪn/ in British English and /dreɪn/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "drain": sap, deplete, empty, sewer, channel, exhaust, withdraw, consume, pipe, discharge.

Example usage of "drain": "The water went down the drain quickly.". More examples on the page.