drool

1 of 2

verb

ˈdrül 

drooled; drooling; drools

intransitive verb

1

a

: to secrete saliva in anticipation of food

The dog hears the bell and begins to drool.

b

: to let saliva dribble from the mouth : drivel sense 2

a drooling baby

2

: to make an effusive show of pleasure or often envious or covetous appreciation

drooling over their new car

3

: to talk nonsense

transitive verb

: to express sentimentally or effusively

drool

2 of 2

noun

1

: saliva trickling from the mouth

wipe the drool from his chin

2

: nonsense

Synonyms

Verb

• dribble
• drivel
• salivate
• slaver
• slobber

Noun

• applesauce [slang]
• balderdash
• baloney
• boloney
• beans
• bilge
• blah
• blah-blah
• blarney
• blather
• blatherskite
• blither
• bosh
• bull [slang]
• bunk
• bunkum
• buncombe
• claptrap
• codswallop [British]
• crapola [slang]
• crock
• drivel
• fiddle
• fiddle-faddle
• fiddlesticks
• flannel [British]
• flapdoodle
• folderol
• falderal
• folly
• foolishness
• fudge
• garbage
• guff
• hogwash
• hokeypokey
• hokum
• hoodoo
• hooey
• horsefeathers [slang]
• humbug
• humbuggery
• jazz
• malarkey
• malarky
• moonshine
• muck
• nerts [slang]
• nonsense
• nuts
• piffle
• poppycock
• punk
• rot
• rubbish
• senselessness
• silliness
• slush
• stupidity
• taradiddle
• tarradiddle
• tommyrot
• tosh
• trash
• trumpery
• twaddle

Examples of drool in a Sentence

Verb

the dog drooled when we put the steak down on the floor

middle-aged men drooling over a starlet half their age

Noun

He wiped the drool from the baby's face.

the only thing more pathetic than the pop psychologist who gushed such drool was the public that lapped it up

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Symptoms of poisoning include upset stomach, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and irregular heartbeat. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2025

While the animal may be seen drooling or swaying, which can spark fear of rabies, opossums are extremely resistant to the disease, according to the Humane Society of the United States. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

Noun

No drool icicles hanging from his mouth and his body shook with excitement. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

Nate Burleson to haters of NFL's promo clip featuring Taylor Swift: 'Wipe the drool off your tank top' Burleson didn't hold back while addressing the critics who decried seeing Swift in an NFL hype video. —Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

perhaps alteration of drivel

First Known Use

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

drool

verb

ˈdrül

1

: to water at the mouth

2

: to let saliva or some other substance flow from the mouth : drivel

Medical Definition

drool

intransitive verb

ˈdrül 

1

: to secrete saliva in anticipation of food

2

: to let saliva or some other substance flow from the mouth

side effects included drowsiness and drooling

drool noun