drown

/draʊn/ (bre, ipa) · /draʊn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdrau̇n/ (ame, mw)

drown — 動詞

  • drownpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • drownshe / she / it
  • drownedpast simple
  • drowning-ing form

1. to die from being under water and unable to breathe because water fills the lung

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

淹死

因水進入肺部而死亡

to die from being under water and unable to breathe because water fills the lungs, or to make another living creature die in the same way

例句

The lifeguard pulled the child from the pool before she could drown.

救生員在小孩溺死前將她從泳池裡拉了出來。

Fourteen people drowned when the ferry sank during the typhoon.

渡輪在颱風中沉沒，造成十四人溺斃。

intransitive: drown in a disaster (ship, flood)

同義詞
  • suffocate

    more general — includes death by lack of air in any setting, not just water

  • asphyxiate

    formal or medical term for death caused by lack of oxygen

文法句型

drown (intransitive) — to die

drown + object (transitive) — to cause death

用法筆記

In everyday conversation, 'almost drown' or 'nearly drown' is far more common than the plain transitive use ('drown someone'). The transitive form often appears in news reports about accidents or deliberate acts.

常見錯誤

❌He drowned in the pool but was saved by a lifeguard.
✅He nearly drowned in the pool but was saved by a lifeguard.
💡'drown' means to die; if the person survives, use 'almost drown' or 'nearly drown'.

2. to pour or spread so much liquid over something that the object underneath is no

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

淹沒

液體完全覆蓋物體表面

to pour or spread so much liquid over something that the object underneath is no longer seen, or to become soaked in this way

例句

Élise drowned her fresh green salad in a heavy creamy dressing.

Élise 在她新鮮的綠色沙拉上倒了滿滿一層濃稠的沙拉醬。

transitive: drown food in sauce or dressing

The kitchen floor was drowned in water after the pipe burst.

水管爆裂後，廚房地板被水淹沒。

passive: be drowned in [liquid] after an accident

同義詞
  • submerge

    more neutral and technical; does not imply excess

  • drench

    focuses on the state of being wet rather than visual coverage; often used for rain

文法句型

drown + object + in + liquid

be drowned + in + liquid

用法筆記

This sense is common in cooking contexts where a large amount of sauce or dressing is poured over food. It often carries a slightly negative tone (too much liquid).

3. to be so full of problems, work, or emotions that you cannot manage or deal with

3.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

壓垮

因過多事物或情緒而無法承受

to be so full of problems, work, or emotions that you cannot manage or deal with them, or to try to escape from difficulties by losing yourself in an activity

例句

The small bookstore was drowned in debt and had to close its doors.

那家小書店被債務壓垮，最後只好關門。

passive: be drowned in debt / work / problems

Kwame felt drowned by the amount of homework he had to finish before Monday.

Kwame 覺得週一前要完成的作業量多到讓他喘不過氣。

passive: feel drowned by [excessive amount]

同義詞
  • overwhelm

    the core synonym; less figurative and more general

  • swamp

    similar figurative use; slightly informal, common in workplace language ('swamped with emails')

  • flood

    focuses on the sudden arrival of a large quantity

文法句型

be drowned + in/with + [excessive thing]

drown + [emotion/problem] + in + [activity]

用法筆記

Subject is often a person or organization that is passive in the situation. The pattern 'drown + emotion + in + activity' describes an intentional coping strategy, while 'be drowned in + [excess]' emphasises helplessness.

4. to cover up a sound by being louder, so that the quieter sound can no longer be

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

蓋過

聲音更大使其他聲音聽不見

to cover up a sound by being louder, so that the quieter sound can no longer be heard

例句

The roar of the airplane engines drowned out our conversation on the tarmac.

飛機引擎的轟隆聲蓋過了我們在停機坪上的談話。

separable phrasal verb: drown out + sound object

The crowd's cheering completely drowned out the referee's final whistle.

群眾的歡呼聲完全蓋過了裁判的終場哨音。

同義詞
  • muffle

    makes a sound quieter without necessarily covering it completely

  • mask

    used in audio and sound-engineering contexts

反義詞
  • amplify

    to make a sound louder on purpose

文法句型

drown + object + out

drown out + object

用法筆記

The phrasal verb 'drown out' is the standard form for this sense. The object can go between 'drown' and 'out' (drown the noise out) or after 'out' (drown out the noise).