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drain

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drain¹

  • /dɹeɪn/
  • /dɹiːn/ US, dialectal

Rhymes with -eɪn

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English *dreinen, from Old English drēahnian, from Proto-West Germanic *drauhnōn, from Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną, from *draugiz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ-, from *dʰer-. Akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), Old English drūgaþ (“dryness, drought”), Old English drȳġe (“dry”). More at dry.

noun drains · drein · dreen

  1. Canada, US A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK) The drain in the kitchen sink is clogged.
  2. UK 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.
  3. A natural or artificial watercourse which drains a tract of land. ;;Saganing Drain, Vermuyden's Drain, the South Drain river, Najafgarh drain
  4. Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return. That rental property is a drain on our finances.
  5. vulgar An act of urination.
  6. One terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
  7. An outhole.
  8. UK, dated, slang A drink. When the play was over, we came out together, and I said, "We've been very companionable and agreeable, and perhaps you wouldn't object to a drain?"

verb drains · draining · drained · drein

  1. intransitive To lose liquid. The clogged sink drained slowly.
  2. intransitive To flow gradually. The water of low ground drains off.
  3. ergative, transitive To cause liquid to flow out of. Please drain the sink. It’s full of dirty water.

    Similar: bleed

  4. ergative, transitive To convert a perennially wet place into a dry one. They had to drain the swampy land before the parking lot could be built.
  5. transitive To deplete of energy or resources. The stress of this job is really draining me.
  6. transitive To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to exhaust. Fountains drain the water from the ground adjacent.
  7. obsolete, transitive To filter. Salt water, drained through twenty vessels of earth, hath become fresh.
  8. intransitive To fall off the bottom of the playfield. When a ball finally drains, it's gulped down by a giant gator beneath the set of flippers.
  9. archaic, slang, transitive To drink. But when I strove my flame to tell, / Says she, 'Come, stow that patter, / If you're a cove wot likes a gal, / Vy don't you stand some gatter?' / In course I instantly complied— / Two brimming quarts of porter, / With sev'ral goes of gin beside, / Drain'd Bet the Coaley's daughter.
  10. slang, transitive To make a shot.

Drain²

Where it comes from

* As an Irish surname, from Ó Dreáin (“descendant of Dreán”), probably from dreán (“wren, songbird”) (see Welsh dryw (“wren”)).

* Also as an Irish surname, from Ó Druacháin; see Drohan.

* As an English surname, occupational surname related to the noun drain.

* Also as an English surname, spelling variant of Drane.

* As a French surname, reduced from Derain, from Old French dererain (“the last”), nickname for the youngest son of a family; see derrière (“behind”).

proper noun Drains · the Drain

  1. A surname.
  2. A city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States.
  3. UK, informal Waterloo & City Line.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: drainpipe, waste pipe, drainage, run out, sap, debilitate, enfeeble, flow away, flow off, sewer, manhole, gutter, siphon, pipeline, sewage, dewatering

Translations

Every language

noun conduit for liquids

Españoldesagüe, drenaje, desaguador, desaguadero, dren, husillo
한국어배수구 baesugu
हिन्दीनाली nālī, नाला nālā, परनाला parnālā, पनारा panārā
Portuguêsdreno, ralo
Françaisdrain, bonde
DeutschAbfluss
Italianoscolo
Românăconductă, canal de scurgere
Русскийдрена́ж drenáž, водосто́к vodostók, сток stok, кана́л kanál, водоотво́д vodootvód, слив sliv
Tiếng Việtcống
العربيةبَالُوعَة bālūʕa
עבריתנִקּוּז nikuz, אגן נקוז agan nikkuz

noun conduit for rainwater

Españolaliviadero, sumidero, absorbedero, sobradero
हिन्दीनाला nālā, पनारा panārā, परनाला parnālā
עבריתנִקּוּז nikuz, מרזב marzev

noun something consuming resources with no gains

Españoltubo abierto, sangría, desaguadero
Portuguêsralo
Françaishémorragie, gouffre
Русскийуте́чка utéčka, у́быль úbylʹ, расхо́д rasxód

noun vulgar: act of urination

Русскиймоче́ние močénije, ссаньё ssanʹjó, сса́чка ssáčka

noun (electronics) name of one terminal of a transistor

Françaisdrain

verb to lose liquid

Españoldrenar, perder
中文排水 páishuǐ
हिन्दीरिसाव risāv
Françaisdrainer
Italianoscolare
Românăa se goli
Русскийпротека́ть protekátʹ, течь tečʹ, проса́чиваться prosáčivatʹsja, сочи́ться sočítʹsja, оттека́ть ottekátʹ

verb cause liquid to flow out of

Españoldesaguar
Portuguêsdrenar, escoar
Françaisdrainer
Deutschentwässern, abfließen lassen, ablassen
Italianoscolare
Românăscurge
Русскийспуска́ть spuskátʹ, спусти́ть spustítʹ, слива́ть slivátʹ, слить slitʹ, выка́чивать vykáčivatʹ, вы́качать výkačatʹ

verb dry out a wet place

Españoldesaguar, desecar
Portuguêsdrenar, secar
Françaisdéshydrater, essorer
Deutschtrocknen, trockenlegen
Românăasana
Русскийосуша́ть osušátʹ, осуши́ть osušítʹ

verb deplete of energy

Españolagotar
Portuguêsdrenar
Deutschleeren, entladen
Русскийистоща́ть istoščátʹ, истощи́ть istoščítʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"drain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/drain. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

APA

drain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/drain

Chicago

"drain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/drain.

BibTeX
@misc{drain_2026,
  title = {drain},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/drain},
  urldate = {2026-11-05}
}