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Glite Dictionary
to quench one's thirst

to quench one's thirst

5 2.7
To drink until you no longer feel a need for water
  • idiom
translation icon : saciar la sed
  • This early part of the morning is also a good time to drink plenty of water, which can help with the urge to quench your thirst with sugar and caffeine-heavy beverages.
  • Quench your thirst with water

Examples

  • After a long hike, I stopped to drink some water and quench my thirst.

  • I keep going to a dry well to quench my thirst.

    Blog text (25)

  • I was at a party with an open bar, and it felt like nothing could quench my thirst.

    Blog text (12)

  • This liquid will probably quench my thirst.

    Little Nicky (2000)

  • You had ample opportunity to quench your thirst before the beginning of class.

    Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955)

  • Distant waters cannot quench your thirst.

    Out for a Kill (2003)

  • Instead of quenching your thirst with pop or Kool-Aid, drink lots of water.

    Blog text (1)

  • We're still not sure of the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners, so I say water or seltzer are the best options to quench your thirst!

    Blog text (6)

  • On a hot day, nothing is better than a cold drink to quench your thirst.

  • She enjoyed a refreshing lemonade to quench her thirst after playing outside.

Synonyms

to quench
vsto quench one's thirst
16 4.2

To stop thirst by drinking or to put out a fire by cooling it

is only about drinking until one is no longer thirsty
to satiate
vsto quench one's thirst
9 7.1

To make someone feel they have had enough to eat or drink

applies specifically to ending thirst rather than overfilling or excess
to slake
vsto quench one's thirst
3 9.0

To satisfy a need, especially thirst

focuses on drinking until no longer thirsty rather than general needs
to allay
vsto quench one's thirst
1 6.8

To make thirst or a strong physical need less

means drinking until thirst is gone not merely reducing the feeling
to wet the whistle
vsto quench one's thirst
  • Informal
6.3

To have a quick drink to feel less thirsty

describes full drinking to stop thirst not casual or social sipping

Antonyms

to dehydrate
5 4.1

To lose too much water and become very dry

How Satisfied

to quench one's thirst
5 2.7
to drink
∞ 1.0
to sip
127 1.0

Surface Forms

quench one's thirst infinitive
quenched one's thirst past
quenched one's thirst past participle
quenching one's thirst present participle
quenches one's thirst third person singular

Morphology

quench + one + thirst

The meaning 'to drink until one is no longer thirsty' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'quench' (to satisfy thirst) with 'thirst' and the generic possessive 'one's'; the relation is literal and compositional. This construction has clear cross-linguistic parallels (e.g., Spanish 'saciar la sed', French 'étancher la soif'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Quench one's thirst comes from when the verb quench meant 'to put out' a fire, so people pictured pouring water on a small flame of thirst inside the body. That's why quench one's thirst means 'to drink until you are no longer thirsty'.