drain

drain · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    To cause liquid to flow away from something; to empty of liquid.

  2. 2.

    To exhaust the resources, energy, or strength of something or someone.

  3. 3.

    (noun) A pipe or channel that carries liquid away.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    down the drain — wasted or lost
  • •
    brain drain — emigration of educated people from a country
  • •
    drain on resources — something that uses up resources

Related words

Antonyms: fill, replenish
See also: drained, empty
Synonyms: deplete, empty, exhaust

Etymology

From Old English dreahnian ("to drain, strain"), related to dry. The noun sense developed in the 16th century.