drain

Study(26)

UK /dɹeɪn/ US /dɹiːn/

noun 5verb 5name 2

Collocations

(noun.) pipe/hole that dirty water goes down

ADJ

blocked

VERB + DRAIN

block | clear, unblock

lay

The construction workers laid drains beneath the street before they paved it.

(noun.) sth that uses up time/money/resources

ADJ

heavy, major, serious

brain

Many talented doctors left the country, contributing to a serious brain drain in the healthcare system.

PREP

~ on

Caring for elderly parents can put a significant drain on your time and energy.

(verb.) make sth empty/dry

ADV

thoroughly, well

After washing the rice, drain it well before cooking to get the best texture.

(verb.) make sb/sth weaker/poorer, etc.

ADV

totally, utterly | emotionally, physically

away

The river slowly drained away during the long dry summer.

PREP

The old well had been completely drained of water during the drought.

PHRASES

be/feel drained

After working three night shifts in a row, Tom felt completely drained and needed a long rest.

Definitions

noun

A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK)

The drain in the kitchen sink is clogged.

An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.

An access point or conduit for rainwater that drains directly downstream in a (drainage) basin without going through sewers or water treatment in order to prevent or belay floods.

A natural or artificial watercourse which drains a tract of land.

Saganing Drain, Vermuyden's Drain, the South Drain river, Najafgarh drain

[…] the little runs and drains, that come through the hills, and to the sources of the creeks and their branches.

Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return.

That rental property is a drain on our finances.

An act of urination.

verb

To lose liquid.

The clogged sink drained slowly.

Knock knock. / Who’s there? / Dwayne. / Dwayne who? / Drain the bathtub, I’m drowning.

To flow gradually.

The water of low ground drains off.

To cause liquid to flow out of.

Please drain the sink. It’s full of dirty water.

To convert a perennially wet place into a dry one.

They had to drain the swampy land before the parking lot could be built.

To deplete of energy or resources.

The stress of this job is really draining me.

name

A surname.

A city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run ou

drainage

noun — a pipe through which liquid is carried away

drainpipe

verb — make weak

enfeeble
debilitate

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

brain drain

The migration of educated or talented people from less economically advanced areas to more economically advanced areas, especially to large cities or more developed nations.

Fortunately, the often-discussed problem of "the brain drain" is not as serious in agriculture as in most other fields, particularly the "hard sciences."

down the drain

Wasted or irretrievable.

Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain.

go down the drain

Synonym of go down the toilet: to fail.

circle the drain

To be in a rapid decline or in a state of downfall, especially as leading to an inevitable utter failure or destruction.

Our emergency medical services are, nonetheless, circling the drain.

when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp

It is easy to lose sight of one's initial objective, becoming caught up in subtasks or in tasks only tangentially related to the original goal.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.

Example Bank

The drain in the kitchen sink is clogged.

Wiktionary

Saganing Drain, Vermuyden's Drain, the South Drain river, Najafgarh drain

Wiktionary

The clogged sink drained slowly.

Wiktionary

Knock knock. / Who’s there? / Dwayne. / Dwayne who? / Drain the bathtub, I’m drowning.

Wiktionary

The water of low ground drains off.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, drain is marked as vulgar, US, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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