drench
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wet thoroughly; soak.
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to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.
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to cover or fill completely; bathe.
trees drenched with sunlight.
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Veterinary Medicine. to administer a draft of medicine to (an animal), especially by force.
to drench a horse.
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Archaic. to cause to drink.
noun
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the act of drenching.
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something that drenches.
a drench of rain.
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a preparation for drenching or steeping.
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a solution, especially one of fermenting bran, for drenching hides or skins.
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a large drink or draft.
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a draft of medicine, especially one administered to an animal by force.
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Horticulture. a mixture of pesticide and water applied to the soil surrounding a plant.
verb
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to make completely wet; soak
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to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force
noun
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the act or an instance of drenching
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a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal
Usage
What does drench mean? To drench is to soak with a liquid, as in The rain drenched me from head to foot. Often, drench is used in reference to rain, bodies of water, or a spill of some kind.To drench is also to saturate with liquid. When you saturate, or drench, a sponge with water, for example, you add as much water as the sponge can hold.Figuratively, to drench is also to cover or fill completely, such as drenching a plant with sunlight by placing the plant in a sunny window. You might also be drenched in a strong emotion, such as joy or sadness. In other words, you’re full of that joy or sadness.A drench is a large amount of liquid that is poured or dropped onto something, such as rain during a powerful rain storm.Drench is also the specific act of drenching something.Example: The rain is going to absolutely drench the clothes hanging on the laundry line.
Related Words
See wet.
Other Word Forms
- drencher noun
- drenching noun
- drenchingly adverb
- undrenched adjective
Etymology
Origin of drench
First recorded before 900; Middle English drenchen, Old English drencan, causative of drincan “to drink” ( drink ); cognate with Dutch drenken, German tränken “to water, give to drink”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As a housemate, he was catastrophic—overturning wastebaskets, ransacking drawers and drenching manuscripts.
Moderate to major coastal flooding could drench roads and waterfront property from Delaware to Cape Cod.
From Barron's
Teenage boys have been drenching themselves and their surroundings in its scents for decades—and drawing complaints and choking coughs for just as long.
Since Monday, a series of storms has drenched much of California and dumped feet of snow in the Sierra.
From Los Angeles Times
Even though they’d ridden slowly, Jonah was still drenched with sweat.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
