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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word drain distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of drain are bankrupt, deplete, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When might bankrupt be a better fit than drain?

The synonyms bankrupt and drain are sometimes interchangeable, but bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When can deplete be used instead of drain?

Although the words deplete and drain have much in common, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than drain?

In some situations, the words exhaust and drain are roughly equivalent. However, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for drain?

The words impoverish and drain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drain
Verb
But critics say the savings programs are too aggressive, draining huge resources away from core programs like education, health care, social services and municipal aid. Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2025 Drain and rinse with cold water and drain well again. Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
The Retention Risk: Employees Vote With Their Feet Rigid RTO policies are creating a talent drain, particularly among knowledge workers who have come to value flexibility. Solange Charas, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025 Lauren's house was wiped clean of all physical evidence, right down to stray hairs in her drain, which is really salt in the wound. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drain
Verb
  • His leg was pumping at, like, a hundred miles an hour.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
  • By Erica Sloan Sparkly beverages pumped with prebiotic fiber have been bubbling up for some time now, positioned both as gut-helpers and healthier alts to classic soda.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • On Thursday night, before the Wizards defeated the Detroit Pistons, 129-125, Coulibaly spent time in Little Caesars Arena’s visitors’ weight room and on the game court doing some light shooting.
    Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Fei, determined, spends the next 20 years performing throughout Southeast Asia in search of him.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Their special teams — especially the power play but also the penalty kill — are in a major funk at maybe the worst time of the season.
    Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • McDowell was charged with killing 42-year-old Darnell Parker on Jan. 15 at an apartment on the 9400 block of International Boulevard in East Oakland, court records show.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • This option returns the pond to its full former glory including sluice gate repair, dredging the full pond area and recreational enhancements to include 5.7 acres of open water and two fishing platforms.
    Erik S. Hanley, Journal Sentinel, 9 Dec. 2024
  • In 2014, Kyrgyz and Tajik conscripts exchanged fire over a strategic sluice in Ak-Sai.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2016
Noun
  • Email Attack Flow Explained The Guards Research report detailed a total of five phases that comprise the attack flow of this latest campaign.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have found agreement on trying to halt the flow of fentanyl into the United States, where it is blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths every year.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • For Midas, the band tapped Grammy-winning producer Craig Silvey (whose credits include mixing Portishead’s Third and the National’s Trouble Will Find Me).
    Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
  • In the past, Zauner had solely tapped people who had self-produced their own work or their friends’ bands for her albums.
    Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • While food safety recalls often focus on bacterial contamination, broken glass presents an immediate physical hazard that can result in cuts or injuries before the product is even consumed.
    Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • One study conducted at Henry Ford Health’s Sleep Disorders and Research Center found that participants who drank a high dose of alcohol before bed initially slept longer than those who consumed a low dose or none.
    Julianna Bragg, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Shoppers could choose to purchase an Apple (product) Red item or wear a look from (RED)’s Gap collection, modeled in an historic campaign by Christy Turlington, Anne Hathaway, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend, among others.
    Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 12 Mar. 2025
  • As pulsating techno music filled the room, which was bathed in red light (a reference to Lynch), models came out of cubicles wearing what looked like a blend of underwear and eveningwear.
    Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Drain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drain. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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