drowning

IPA/ˈdraʊnɪŋ/
KK[drˈaʊnɪŋ]IPA/ˈdraʊnɪŋ/

drowning — noun

  • drowningsingular
  • drowningsplural

1. the event or fact of a person or animal dying because their lungs fill with wate

1.nounB2
Definition

the event or fact of a person or animal dying because their lungs fill with water and they can no longer take in air; a particular incident in which this happens

Example

When little Sayaka fell into the hotel pool, the lifeguard saved her from drowning.

Nora's mother still cries when remembering the drowning accident at the lake.

Common collocations
  • death by drowning
  • near drowning
  • drowning victim
  • drowning accident
  • drowning prevention
  • drowning rate
  • signs of drowning
  • risk of drowning
  • case of drowning
Synonyms
  • suffocation

    a broader term for death caused by lack of oxygen, not limited to water — can happen from choking, smoke, or lack of air

  • asphyxiation

    the medical term for suffocation; used mainly in official reports, autopsy results, or by doctors

  • submersion

    means being completely under water, but does not necessarily result in death; a narrower technical concept than drowning

Grammar Patterns

death by drowning

drowning of [person/animal]

drownings (plural for multiple incidents)

Usage Note

The noun drowning can be uncountable when referring to the general cause of death ('Drowning is a serious problem in rural areas'), or countable when referring to a specific incident ('There was a drowning at the beach yesterday'). The phrase near drowning describes a situation in which a person survives after being underwater and unable to breathe.

Common Mistakes

The ship drowned in the storm.
The ship sank in the storm.
Drowning is only used for living things (people or animals), not for objects or vehicles.
He died from drowning.
He died by drowning.' or 'He drowned.
The standard expression is 'death by drowning.' Though 'die from drowning' is sometimes heard, 'by drowning' is the fixed collocation in formal written English.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Drowning specifically means death caused by water filling the lungs. Suffocation is a broader term for any death caused by lack of oxygen, whether from choking, drowning, or being in a place without breathable air. Asphyxiation is the medical or formal term for suffocation and is most often used by doctors, in hospitals, or in official reports such as a death certificate. Submersion simply means being completely covered by water — it does not always lead to death, while drowning always does. For example: 'The diver survived a dangerous submersion, but there was no drowning because the rescue team reached her in time.'

drowning ↗suffocation ↗asphyxiation ↗submersion ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • drowning victim
  • drowning accident
  • drowning rate
  • drowning prevention
  • drowning death

Phrases

  • death by drowning
  • near drowning
  • a case of drowning
  • signs of drowning
  • risk of drowning
  • cause of drowning

Prepositions

  • drowning in [liquid]
  • death from drowning

Etymology

Old NorseGermanicMiddle EnglishEnglish

Drowning is the noun form of the verb drown. The verb drown came into English from Old Norse drukna, meaning 'to be drowned,' during the Viking settlements in Britain. The -ing suffix turns the verb into a noun that names the event or result of the action. The Old Norse word itself comes from a Germanic root related to sinking or being swallowed by water.