💧 To remove liquid 💧 Emptying liquid 😩 To use up energy 🚰 A water pipe ⬇️ A slow loss 🩺 A medical tube

drain

44 1.4

The act of letting liquid flow out

noun
/dreɪn/

: vaciado

After the rain stopped, we noticed that the drain was clogged and needed to be cleared.

There'd be many attempts to make the process of draining your body a little more arrogant.

Examples

Unprofitable lines of service are a financial drain and a management distraction.

Academic text (2002)
Pundits and politicians warn of the consequent drain on our resources.

Academic text (1999)
Why throw good money down the drain?

The Flintstones (1994)
All those years of training right down the drain.

The Sting (1973)
Four years down the drain.

Jaws 2 (1978)
My whole life is going down the drain.

The Cardboard Lover (1928)
Fifteen years with the company down the drain.

One, Two, Three (1961)
Combat constitutes a constant and cumulative drain on the soldier's resources that he draws on to fight.

Academic text (2002)
The plumber installed a new drain to prevent water from pooling in the yard.
They built a drain to carry excess water away from the fields during heavy rains.

Synonyms

drainage

vsdrain

43 3.5

Removing liquid so it flows away from a place or object

is the single act of emptying something rather than a system of channels

outflow

vsdrain

Specialized

13 4.6

Movement of water, gas or money out of a place

focuses on emptying a container by letting liquid flow rather than general outward movement

drawing off

vsdrain

6.4

The act of removing liquid from a container or place

allows liquid to leave by flowing out rather than being actively taken

Antonyms

to fill

∞ 1.0

To make a place full by putting people or things into it

Idioms

to drain the swamp

6 7.9

To remove corruption and waste from a government or company

money down the drain

Informal

2 4.2

Money people waste when they make a bad choice

Compounds

storm drain

18 3.0

A pipe under the street that carries away rainwater

brain drain

5 4.2

The leaving of skilled or well educated people from a country to work abroad for better jobs

drain system

1 3.2

Pipes and channels that carry away extra water from an area

drain basket

2.8

A small basket in a sink that catches food scraps while water flows through

trap-and-drain auger

Specialized

8.8

A tool with a long flexible wire that clears blockages in drains

stormwater drain

Specialized

2.7

A pipe or channel that carries rainwater away from streets and buildings

How Thorough

to evacuate

5 5.0

drain

44 1.4

to aspirate

Specialized

2 7.2

to blot

4 4.1

Surface Forms

drain singular

drains plural

Etymology

Drain as a noun can mean the act of letting liquid flow out, and this comes from the same old idea of 'drawing off' water. So a drain is the process of emptying something by letting its liquid go.