/ dreɪn; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to make sth empty or dry by removing all the liquid from it; to become empty or dry in this way :
[ vn ]
Drain and rinse the pasta.
The marshes have been drained.
You will need to drain the central heating system before you replace the radiator.
[ v ]
The swimming pool drains very slowly.
Leave the dishes to drain.
2.
drain (sth) (from / out of sth) | drain (sth) (away / off) to make liquid flow away from sth; to flow away :
[ vn ]
We had to drain the oil out of the engine.
Drain off the excess fat from the meat.
[ v ]
She pulled out the plug and the water drained away.
The river drains into a lake.
All the colour drained from his face when I told him the news
( figurative )
My anger slowly drained away.
3.
[ vn ] to empty a cup or glass by drinking everything in it :
( formal )
In one gulp, he drained the glass.
She quickly drained the last of her drink.
4.
[ vn ] drain sb/sth (of sth) to make sb/sth weaker, poorer, etc. by using up their/its strength, money, etc. :
My mother's hospital expenses were slowly draining my income.
I felt drained of energy.
an exhausting and draining experience
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a pipe that carries away dirty water or other liquid waste :
We had to call in a plumber to unblock the drain.
The drains (= the system of pipes) date from the beginning of the century.
2.
[ C ] ( BrE ) ( US grate , ˈsewer grate ) a frame of metal bars over the opening to a drain in the ground
3.
[ C ] ( US ) = plughole
4.
[ sing. ] a ~ on sb/sth a thing that uses a lot of the time, money, etc. that could be used for sth else :
Military spending is a huge drain on the country's resources.
—see also brain drain
•
IDIOMS
- (go) down the drain
—more at laugh verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English drēahnian , drēhnian strain (liquid) , of Germanic origin; related to dry .