siphon2 (also syphon British English) verb [transitiveT always + adverbadv/prepositionprep] 1 (also siphon something ↔ off/out)REMOVE to remove liquid from a container by using a siphon 用虹吸管吸出 It took him only a few minutes to siphon off the petrol and drive away. 他只用了几分钟就用虹吸管吸出汽油,开车走了。
siphon something out of/from something Crews began siphoning oil from the leaking boat. 船员开始用虹吸管从漏水的船上把油抽走。
2 (also siphon something ↔ off)BFSTEAL to dishonestly take money from a business, account etc to use it for a purpose for which it was not intended 私自抽调〔钱款〕,挪用 Emergency aid was siphoned off by foreign ministry officials for their own use. 紧急救济款被外交部官员挪作私用了。
siphon something from something I found she had siphoned thousands of dollars from our bank account. 我发现她偷偷地从我们的银行账户里转移走了数千美元。
siphon something out of/from something• Boris Fyodorov survived the attack and returned to accuse senior Kremlin aides of siphoning cash out of the fund.
From Longman Business Dictionary
siphonsi·phon /ˈsaɪfən/ (also syphon) verb [transitiveT] to dishonestly take money from a business, account etc and use it for a purpose for which it was not intendedsiphon something from/off somethingI later found she had siphoned thousands of dollars from our bank account.
Corrupt officials had been siphoning off public funds for private business ventures.