drown

The word “drown” means to die, or to kill, by being unable to breathe underwater. In plain terms, to die from being submerged in water without air, or, figuratively, to be completely overwhelmed or covered by something.

“Drown” is pronounced drown (/dɹaʊn/ in IPA).

Here is “drown” used in a sentence: “The lifeguard rescued a swimmer before he could drown.”

Words with a similar meaning to “drown” include flood and inundate.

“Drown” is a verb.

The word “drown” comes from Old Norse. Of uncertain origin, though likely shaped by influence from Old Norse drukkna, a related word for the same idea.

“Drown” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Drown” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to die, or to kill, by being unable to breathe underwater.

Drown refers specifically to dying or being killed by submersion in water or another liquid, while suffocate refers to death from a lack of oxygen in general, which can happen on dry land as well. All drowning is a form of suffocation, but not all suffocation is drowning.

Yes, drown is commonly used figuratively to describe being overwhelmed or completely covered by something, as in 'drowning in paperwork' or 'drown out the noise.' This figurative sense keeps the core idea of being submerged or overpowered.

Both are used but mean different things: 'he drowned' describes an accidental or unintentional death, while 'he was drowned' implies someone else caused it deliberately. Careful writers avoid 'was drowned' when describing an accident, since it can wrongly suggest another person was responsible.