v. 1 tr. & intr. kill or be killed by submersion in liquid. 2 tr. submerge; flood; drench (drowned the fields in six feet of water). 3 tr. (often foll. by in) deaden (grief etc.) with drink (drowned his sorrows in drink). 4 tr. (often foll. by out) make (a sound) inaudible by means of a louder sound. drowned valley a valley partly or wholly submerged by a change in land-levels. drown out drive out by flood. like a drowned rat colloq. extremely wet and bedraggled.
[ ME (orig. north.) drun(e), droun(e), perh. f. OE drunian (unrecorded), rel. to DRINK ]