drown

The verb drown means to die from inhaling water into the lungs and being unable to breathe. It is possible to drown in even a small amount of water, so it's important to learn proper water safety.

You can also use this verb with a direct object: for example, a flash flood might drown animals that live near a river. You can drown things in a less literal way as well. If you drink alcoholic beverages to forget your troubles, for example, you can say you're trying to "drown your sorrows." If you're submerged in a tidal wave of school assignments, then you are "drowning in work."

Definitions of drown
  1. verb
    kill by submerging in water
    “He drowned the kittens”
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    type of:
    kill
    cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
  2. verb
    die from being submerged in water, getting water into the lungs, and asphyxiating
    “The child drowned in the lake”
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    type of:
    buy the farm, cash in one's chips, choke, conk, croak, decease, die, drop dead, exit, expire, give-up the ghost, go, kick the bucket, pass, pass away, perish, pop off, snuff it
    pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
  3. verb
    be covered with or submerged in a liquid
    synonyms: swim
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    type of:
    be
    have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
  4. verb
    cover completely or make imperceptible
    “I was drowned in work”
    “The noise drowned out her speech”
    synonyms: overwhelm, submerge
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    type of:
    cover, spread over
    form a cover over
  5. verb
    get rid of as if by submerging
    “She drowned her trouble in alcohol”
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    type of:
    do away with, eliminate, extinguish, get rid of
    terminate, end, or take out
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