What does drown mean?
To drown is to die by suffocation after being submerged in a liquid — most commonly water — when the lungs fill and breathing becomes impossible. The verb also works transitively: a flood can drown fields, a wave can drown a swimmer, or a person can be drowned deliberately. Beyond literal senses, drown carries rich figurative weight: a speaker's words may be drowned out by noise, a city can be drowned in debt, and someone seeking escape may try to drown their sorrows in drink. These extended uses make the word vividly productive in both everyday speech and literature. Its connotations range from tragedy and danger to excess and overwhelm, giving writers an economical way to evoke helplessness or inundation. Etymologically it traces back through Middle English to roots meaning "to drink," a striking reminder that the word for dying in water began life describing the act of drinking itself. Drown is standard across all registers of English worldwide.
To die from suffocation while submerged in a liquid.
"Three sailors drowned when their vessel capsized in the storm."
Often used with prepositions: "drown in," "drown at sea."
To cause death by submersion, or to flood/cover something completely with liquid; figuratively, to overpower sound, feeling, or attention.
"The torrent drowned the valley's low-lying farmland."
Figurative transitive uses like "drowned out" are extremely common in journalism and conversation.
"Drown" once meant simply to drink deeply — its fatal modern meaning only took hold around the 16th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of drown
Drown descends from Middle English "drounen," of Scandinavian origin, ultimately connected to the Old Norse verb "drukkna" (to drown) and related to the root behind "drink." Originally it carried the sense of drinking deeply or being swallowed up; the specific meaning of dying by submersion became dominant by roughly the 16th century. Cognates appear in other Germanic languages, reflecting a shared Proto-Germanic ancestry tied to drinking and absorption of liquid.
Related word forms
How drown is actually used
Drown is a strong, often emotive verb; figurative uses such as "drown in paperwork" are common and idiomatic. The reflexive construction "drowned himself" typically implies suicide, so care is warranted in sensitive contexts.
Easily confused with drown
"Drownded" is a nonstandard dialectal past-tense form; the standard past tense and participle of drown is "drowned".