drown

Word family

Related topics: Death, Water, Colours & sounds

drown /draʊn/ verb

1 [intransitiveI, transitiveT]MXTTW to die from being under water for too long, or to kill someone in this way （使）淹死，（使）溺毙

Many people drowned when the boat overturned.

船翻后许多人淹死了。

Jane was drowned in the river.

简在那条河里溺水身亡。

drown yourself

Depressed, Peter tried to drown himself.

彼得因为抑郁试图投水自尽。

2 (also drown out) [transitiveT]C if a loud noise drowns out another sound, it prevents it from being heard 〔声音〕盖过，淹没

A train blew its whistle and drowned his voice.

火车鸣响汽笛，淹没了他的话音。

The noise of the battle was drowned out by his aircraft’s engine.

交战声被他飞机引擎的轰鸣声盖过了。

3 [transitiveT]COVERLIQUID to cover something, especially food, with more liquid than is necessary or nice 浸泡〔食品等〕

drown something in something

The fish was drowned in a rich sauce.

鱼浸泡在浓浓的酱汁里。

4 [intransitiveI, transitiveT] to have a very strong feeling or a serious problem that is difficult to deal with （为）〔强烈的感情或严重的问题〕困扰，烦恼

drown in

Relief agencies are drowning in frustration.

救援机构里弥漫着沮丧情绪。

The country is drowning in debt.

这个国家负债累累。

5. drown your sorrows DFDDRUNKto drink a lot of alcohol in order to forget your problems 借酒浇愁

Examples from the Corpus

drown your sorrows• Within the hour the show is cancelled and everyone returns to the hotel to drown their sorrows.• I knew Mum and Dad would be out until late drowning their sorrows.• Who couldn't drink, drown her sorrows.• Drinking on your own or to drown your sorrows can get out of hand.• He was a man drowning his sorrows, he'd decided.• After his girlfriend left he spent the evening drowning his sorrows in a local bar.• And is there a female alive who has not drowned her sorrows in buttered mashed potatoes?• One afternoon we became so depressed that we decided to drown our sorrows in drink.• You can't just sit around day after day drowning your sorrows in whiskey.• I drowned my sorrows on the school goalposts, as football was banned.

Examples from the Corpus

drown• He was shipping water at a furious rate and could plainly see that he was drowning.• I was almost drowned a dozen times; was nearly boiled alive and just missed being cremated.• He nearly drowned before friends rescued him.• She let him drown her in the deep water, too weak even to raise her hands to cling to him.• I mean, she's rejected by the man she loves and drowns herself rather than live without him.• He accused his brother of trying to drown him.• The country is drowning in debt.• I was drowned in the Old Woman Fork at the age of twenty-nine.• The tears rolling off her chin on to her fingers, she sang louder; drowning out her other noises.• The floods drowned scores of livestock.• Maurus saved the young Placid from drowning, which may or may not explain bis patronage.

drown yourself• A girl had murdered two small children whom she was babysitting for, and had then drowned herself.• He had tried to save one of his sheep from drowning in the river, and he drowned himself.• He was drowning himself in booze and self-pity.• Beware, however, of drowning yourself in pages of notes.• But one night Hilda drowned herself in the lake, just as she had threatened to do.• Should I drown myself in the Vistula?• She must not drown herself, it said.• I mean, she's rejected by the man she loves and drowns herself rather than live without him.

Origin drown

(1200-1300) Probably from a Scandinavian language

drown verb

Chinese

Corpus