as in exhausting
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1
as in pumping
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely
we drained the water from the tank before cleaning it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in consuming
to make complete use of
virtually drained the country's natural resources
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in killing
to use up all the physical energy of
the long hike drained us
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of draining
Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 19 May 2026
More turbulent water draining from the desert via seasonal drainage channels called wadis might have brought others.
—Geoff Emberling, The Conversation, 19 May 2026
Traffic is building in the physical-presence lanes—health care, food preparation, maintenance—while draining fast from the office lanes AI has most aggressively entered.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 May 2026
According to business organizations, ongoing protests and road blockades are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia's economy and have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on the highways.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
His administration is draining oil from America’s stockpile at the fastest pace on record.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Employees openly rejected toxic workplace expectations, excessive productivity culture, long commutes, and emotionally draining corporate environments.
—Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Succulents require a well-draining soil with a lightweight texture.
—Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 12 May 2026
After draining six treys in Sunday’s overtime road win against the Washington Mystics, the French guard set the all-time Liberty franchise record for the most three-pointers made in the first two games of the season.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Adjective
Asch recommends finding a driver-friendly activity to make time on the road feel less draining, such as listening to an audiobook or podcast.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Plant the cutting in well-draining soil in a 12-inch tall pot that’s about 6 inches wide so the roots have plenty of room to grow.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 19 May 2026
More turbulent water draining from the desert via seasonal drainage channels called wadis might have brought others.
—Geoff Emberling, The Conversation, 19 May 2026
Traffic is building in the physical-presence lanes—health care, food preparation, maintenance—while draining fast from the office lanes AI has most aggressively entered.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 May 2026
According to business organizations, ongoing protests and road blockades are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia's economy and have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on the highways.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
His administration is draining oil from America’s stockpile at the fastest pace on record.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Employees openly rejected toxic workplace expectations, excessive productivity culture, long commutes, and emotionally draining corporate environments.
—Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Succulents require a well-draining soil with a lightweight texture.
—Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 12 May 2026
After draining six treys in Sunday’s overtime road win against the Washington Mystics, the French guard set the all-time Liberty franchise record for the most three-pointers made in the first two games of the season.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for draining
Adjective
-
Fighting cancer is exhausting for everyone involved.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
-
At the same time, many Americans report feeling trapped inside an increasingly exhausting healthcare landscape marked by insurance battles, physician shortages, long wait times and growing uncertainty around affordability.—
Meggen Harris,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Shaggy was holding a squishy ball between his knees and pumping his arms up and down, making his whole body quiver.—
Natalie Meade,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Those are the longest plaudits of the festival, though Refn and cast were doing some cheerleading and pumping the crowd up after the lights went up, which likely prolonged the celebration.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, cleaning a mattress isn't hard to do or very time consuming.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
Public health agencies have launched multilingual warnings, including radio ads, flyers, and PSAs in several languages, urging residents to avoid consuming wild mushrooms.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Is God Is is a story about twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), tasked with killing their abusive, absentee father at the request of their mother.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
19 May 2026
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Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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But the most mentally fatiguing aspect, the work found, was having to constantly supervise the AI tools, with some employees overseeing multiple AI agents performing different tasks at the same time.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My friend was in course of opening up his country house unassisted, and after a fatiguing day discovered that the only practical bed was a child’s affair— long enough but scarcely wider than a crib.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa questioned Becerra’s role in a corruption scandal involving a former aide who pleaded guilty to siphoning funds from Becerra’s dormant campaign account to pad his salary.—
Ben Paviour
May 6,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
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But many of Lamont’s fellow Democrats in the legislature’s majority have argued for the past two years that Connecticut saves too aggressively, siphoning dangerously large amounts from town aid and other core programs and effectively forcing one generation to solve a problem created by three.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Verb
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His lips were sunburned after spending three days leading a group down the Rio Grande.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Now the company seeks to expand on last year’s win by spending vast sums — putting up more than $70 million so far — on a California ballot measure campaign to cap attorney fees in car crash cases.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
On her lunch break, mama walks us over to the library still wearing her scrubs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Laneda taught Sunday school, and her sons were Cornerstone ushers, wearing white gloves and delivering a welcome address to visitors at the start of Sunday services.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Draining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draining. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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