Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

drain

 
 
/dreɪn/ noun

Definition

[C] a pipe or hole that takes away waste liquids or water: She poured the dirty water down the drain.
a drain on sth something that uses or wastes a lot of money or energy: Keeping these people in prison is a huge drain on government finances.
(Definition of drain noun from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Word of the Day

demur

to express disagreement or refuse to do something

Word of the Day

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.

Learn More