drench

[drench]

verb (used with object)

1. to wet thoroughly; soak.

2. to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.

3. to cover or fill completely; bathe.

   trees drenched with sunlight.

4. Veterinary Medicine.,  to administer a draft of medicine to (an animal), especially by force.

   to drench a horse.

5. Archaic.,  to cause to drink.

noun

1. the act of drenching.

2. something that drenches.

   a drench of rain.

3. a preparation for drenching or steeping.

4. a solution, especially one of fermenting bran, for drenching hides or skins.

5. a large drink or draft.

6. a draft of medicine, especially one administered to an animal by force.

7. Horticulture.,  a mixture of pesticide and water applied to the soil surrounding a plant.

drench

/ drɛntʃ /

verb

1. to make completely wet; soak

2. to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force

noun

1. the act or an instance of drenching

2. a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal

Other Word Forms

• drenching noun
• drencher noun
• drenchingly adverb
• undrenched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drench¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of drench¹

Old English drencan to cause to drink; related to Old High German trenken

Synonym Study

See wet.

Example Sentences

It's not long since the 1,400 acre farm had the opposite problem, drenched by record-breaking rainfall.

From BBC

It has already barrelled through the Caribbean, drenching Puerto Rico.

From BBC

All is forgiven and his father would gladly accept another drenching with a little warning this time.

From Los Angeles Times

“Blade Runner” — “the official nightmare of Los Angeles,” according to filmmaker and critic Thom Andersen — depicts a dark, heavily polluted urban center with flying vehicles and residents drenched in a constant downpour of acid rain.

From Los Angeles Times

In the ‘70s-themed “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” haunt, look out for a bloody scene designed to drench guests.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deluge 
• douse 
• drown 
• immerse 
• impregnate 
• inundate 
• saturate 
• soak 
• steep 
• submerge 

When To Use

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.