drown /draʊn/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to die from being under water for too long, or to kill someone in this way:
Many people drowned when the boat overturned.
Jane was drowned in the river.
drown yourself
Depressed, Peter tried to drown himself.
2 . ( also drown out ) [transitive] if a loud noise drowns out another sound, it prevents it from being heard:
A train blew its whistle and drowned his voice.
The noise of the battle was drowned out by his aircraft’s engine.
3 . [transitive] to cover something, especially food, with more liquid than is necessary or nice
drown something in something
The fish was drowned in a rich sauce.
4 . [intransitive and transitive] to have a very strong feeling or a serious problem that is difficult to deal with
drown in
Relief agencies are drowning in frustration.
The country is drowning in debt.
5 . drown your sorrows to drink a lot of alcohol in order to forget your problems