drench

noun \ ˈdrench \

Updated on: 7 Dec 2017

Definition of drench

1 : a poisonous or medicinal drink; specifically : a large dose of medicine mixed with liquid and put down the throat of an animal

2 a : something that drenches

b : a quantity sufficient to drench or saturate

Recent Examples of drench from the Web

While Cindy is forecast to blow maximum sustained winds near 45 mph through Thursday, weather experts and emergency management officials are honing in on the threats posed by a impending drench of rain.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Tropical Storm Cindy forms, will bring drenching rains," 20 June 2017
Trees that are large, in good condition and provide generous canopies may receive trunk injection treatments (the city does not use or permit the more controversial soil drench tactics).

— gary johnson, Twin Cities, "Gary Johnson: It’s not always easy to say goodbye to our ash trees. But it’s necessary.," 7 May 2017
Walls of glass drench the interiors with natural light while providing a sophisticated look throughout the modern home.

— jack flemming, latimes.com, "Architect couple’s nearly net-zero home in Santa Monica lists for $7.4 million," 29 Aug. 2017
Use a drench of Banrot, Aliette or Subdue fungicides to ward off root rot

— miamiherald, "Trees downed? Shrubs scattered? How to make your garden bloom after the storm," 12 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drench.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of drench

before 12th century

drench

verb

Definition of drench

transitive verb

1 a archaic : to force to drink

b : to administer a drench to (an animal)

2 : to wet thoroughly (as by soaking or immersing in liquid)

3 : to soak or cover thoroughly with liquid that falls or is precipitated

4 : to fill or cover completely as if by soaking or precipitation

was drenched in furs and diamonds
—Richard Brautigan

—

drencher

noun

See drench defined for English-language learners

See drench defined for kids

Examples of drench in a Sentence

we were drenched by the sudden rainstorm
when using the carpet shampooer, wet but do not drench the carpet

Recent Examples of drench from the Web

In fact, one’s about to splash down on the U.S. East Coast, drenching the U.S. Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast.

— brian k sullivan, Bloomberg.com, "Here’s How the Weather ‘Bomb’ That May Soak New York Was Born," 26 Oct. 2017
The Spurs had no positional answer for Kevin Durant other than Leonard, and their perimeter defense was eventually drenched by the Splash Brothers.

— SI.com, "The Eight Biggest Threats to the Warriors," 9 Oct. 2017
Harvey drenched Port Arthur, Texas, dropping 47.35 inches of rain in four days, according to the Weather Channel, including more than 26 inches of rain Aug. 29 alone.

— CBS News, "Police raid Texas nursing home where dramatic Harvey rescue took place," 14 Sep. 2017
Along with the strong winds and drenching rain, conditions are ripe for tornadoes.

— doug phillips, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Tornado warning for northeastern Palm Beach County," 10 Sep. 2017
The forecast calls for drenching rains of 12 to 18 inches and as much as 25 inches in isolated areas.

— brian k sullivan, Bloomberg.com, "Maria Latest Threat to Puerto Rico After $1 Billion Irma Hit," 20 Sep. 2017
Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico just before dawn Wednesday as some 3.5 million people girded for an day of vicious winds and drenching rain expected to devastate the American territory.

— miami herald staff, miamiherald, "Hurricane Maria live updates: Major damage in Dominica, residents elsewhere warned to stay indoors," 20 Sep. 2017
Gordon says Leos are happiest when their space is sun-drenched and playful.

— lindsay tigar, Vogue, "How to Decorate Your Home Based on Your Astrological Sign," 11 Sep. 2017
The sheer physical size of the area that has been drenched and battered by the monster storm is also slowing assessments of its impact.

— eric levenson, CNN, "Why we don't yet know Harvey's true toll," 31 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of drench

Middle English, from Old English drencan; akin to Old English drincan to drink

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

drench Synonyms

Synonyms

bathe, bedraggle, douse (also dowse), wet, drown, soak, sodden, sop, souse, wash, water, waterlog, water-soak, wet down

Antonyms

dehydrate, desiccate, dry, parch, scorch, sear

Related Words

asperse, bedew, damp, dampen, drizzle, humidify, hydrate, mist, moisten, moisturize, shower, sprinkle; deluge, flood, hose (down), inundate, overflow; submerge, swamp; splash; impregnate, saturate, steep; flush, irrigate, lave, rinse, slosh, sluice; dip, duck, dunk; rehydrate, rewash, rewet

Near Antonyms

dewater, evaporate, freeze-dry; drip-dry, wring; dehumidify

Synonym Discussion of drench

soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid. soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

- soak the garment in soapy water

saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

- a saturated sponge

drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

- clothes drenched by a cloudburst

steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

- steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

- a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

DRENCH Defined for English Language Learners

drench

verb

Definition of drench for English Language Learners

: to make (someone or something) completely wet

DRENCH Defined for Kids

drench

verb \ ˈdrench \

Definition of drench for Students

drenched; drenching

: to make completely wet

We had pancakes drenched in syrup.

Medical Dictionary

drench

noun \ ˈdrench \

medical Definition of drench

: a poisonous or medicinal drink; specifically : a large dose of medicine mixed with liquid and put down the throat of an animal

drench

transitive verb

medical Definition of drench

: to administer a drench to (an animal)

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See words that rhyme with drench Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for drench Spanish Central: Translation of drench Nglish: Translation of drench for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of drench for Arabic speakers

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First Known Use of drench

drench

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drencher

Examples of drench in a Sentence

Recent Examples of drench from the Web

Origin and Etymology of drench

drench Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of drench

DRENCH Defined for English Language Learners

drench

Definition of drench for English Language Learners

DRENCH Defined for Kids

drench

Definition of drench for Students

Medical Dictionary

drench

medical Definition of drench

drench

medical Definition of drench

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