drowning

verb

present participle of drown
1
as in flooding
to cover with a flood whole villages drowned by the rampaging river

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in soaking
to wet thoroughly with liquid drowned the carpet with shampoo, and so it took forever to dry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wetting
to make wet cooked pasta drowned in marinara sauce

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drowning Two of the remains found in 2022 belonged to drowning victims. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 The Port of Los Angeles forklift driver was wearing a life vest and was floating away, out to sea -- cold, worried about sharks and drowning. — Michele Gile, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 That being said, Herndon’s voice complements those of his subjects, rather than drowning them out. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026 This disinformation, often fueled by fossil-fuel interests and amplified by platform algorithms, is described as lethal, drowning out critical public safety information and hindering emergency responses. — David Vetter, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Its protagonist, Sienna, loses her voice and begins growing scales after nearly drowning, entering an underground world of desire and danger. — John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 An autopsy found that Melina died from asphyxia due to drowning, and her manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to New York State Police. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Potential causes include drowning, strangulation, asthma and foreign objects blocking an airway. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 Their jobs require endurance and discipline, as they not only rescue swimmers who are drowning. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drowning
  1. flooding
  2. soaking
  3. wetting
  4. engulfing
  5. saturating
  6. washing
  7. overwhelming
  8. drenching
Verb
  • Kelly Howe The area around the Aspen Acres fire was also struck by flooding last month.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Tributes are flooding in for Hayden Panettiere, the Scream and Heroes star who died Sunday at 36.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of flooding
Verb
  • That becomes particularly dangerous in cities, where roads, parking lots and buildings prevent rain from soaking into the ground.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The unusually hot British summer has made the challenge even more demanding, resulting in Jackson soaking his clothes in cold water every morning to keep cool.
    — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of soaking
Verb
  • For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Pyne argues that Mediterranean Europe, much like California, is naturally predisposed to burn because of an annual cycle of wetting and drying.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • Chopper 2 The fire grew to three alarms, engulfing the entire building and eventually causing the steeple to collapse.
    — Adi Guajardo, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Video shows thick black smoke engulfing the Mutiara Sentosa 2 as panicked passengers crowd the decks, some leaping overboard to escape the flames.
    — Trisnadi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of engulfing
Verb
  • That creates an important exception for government agencies that test drugs and send out regular reports on what adulterants are saturating the drug supply in certain locations.
    — Scott Maucione, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Spray it onto a microfiber cloth and wipe your floors to avoid over-saturating them.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 31 July 2026
Definition of saturating
Verb
  • The magnesium fits alongside a skincare wind-down that includes washing her face with her brand’s Micellar Cleanser, applying its Prep Serum and using its Night Cream, sometimes with a few drops of Boosting Oil mixed in.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026
  • To prevent an infection, the CDC recommends washing your hands and any fresh produce under running water before eating, preparing or cooking it.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • The natural fabric layers seamlessly into English cottages, cozy urban apartments, and relaxed California homes alike, delivering gentle movement without overwhelming a space.
    — Nina Derwin, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But this year, the number and scale of foodborne illness outbreaks are overwhelming the system and disrupting the ability to respond.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Verb
  • The drenching rains and destructive flooding were among the impacts of severe storms that have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and beyond in recent days.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Lala is no longer a hurricane, but the tropical storm is drenching Hawaii with sideways rain, hurricane-force gusts and pounding surf, flooding rivers and triggering mudslides.
    — Alexa St. John, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of drenching

Browse Nearby Words

drowned
drowning
drowns
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drowning. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on drowning

Nglish: Translation of drowning for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All