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drain

Syllabification: (drain)
Pronunciation: /drān/

Translate drain | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of drain

verb

[with object]
  • 1cause the water or other liquid in (something) to run out, leaving it empty, dry, or drier:we drained the swimming pool
  • cause or allow (liquid) to run off or out of something:fry the pork and drain off any excess fat
  • make (land) drier by providing channels for water to flow away in:the land was drained and the boggy ground reclaimed
  • (of a river) carry off the superfluous water from (a district):the stream drains a wide moorland above the waterfall
  • [no object] (of water or another liquid) flow away from, out of, or into something:the river drains into the Pacific figurativePolly felt the blood drain from her face
  • [no object] become dry or drier as liquid runs off or away:dishes left to drain the plant should be watered well and allowed to drain
  • (of a person) drink the entire contents of (a glass or other container):he seized the Scotch set before him and drained it
  • [no object] (of a feeling or emotion) become progressively less strongly felt:gradually the tension and stress drained away
  • 2deprive of strength or vitality:his limbs were drained of all energy Ruth slumped down in her seat, drained by all that had happened
  • cause (money, energy, or another valuable resource) to be lost, wasted, or used up:my mother’s hospital bills are draining my income
  • [no object] (of a resource) be lost, wasted, or used up:votes and campaign funds drained away from the Republican candidate
  • 3 Golf, informal (of a player) hole (a putt).

noun

  • 1a channel or pipe carrying off surplus liquid, especially rainwater or liquid waste.
  • a tube for drawing off accumulating fluid from a body cavity or an abscess.
  • Electronics the part of a field-effect transistor to which the charge carriers flow after passing the gate.
  • 2 [in singular] a thing that uses up a particular resource:nuclear power is a serious drain on the public purse
  • the continuous loss or expenditure of a particular resource:the drain of our heritage

Phrases

go down the drain

informal be totally wasted:the government must stop public money from going down the drain

Origin:

Old English drēahnian, drēhnian 'strain (liquid)', of Germanic origin; related to dry

drain in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of drain in the British & World English dictionary
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