drown
drown — 動詞
1. to die from being under water and unable to breathe because water fills the lung
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
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)
The farmer was arrested for drowning a litter of newborn kittens in a sack.
那名農夫因將一窩新生小貓淹死在麻袋裡而被逮捕。
Niran almost drowned after a strong wave pulled him under the water.
一個大浪將 Niran 捲入水中，他差點淹死。
- 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
2. to pour or spread so much liquid over something that the object underneath is no
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
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
Joon drowned the fried fish in a spicy tomato sauce before serving.
Joon 在上菜前用辛辣的番茄醬將炸魚完全浸泡。
The heavy rain drowned the streets and flooded the ground floor of the hotel.
大雨淹沒了街道，飯店一樓也進了水。
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
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
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]
After the breakup, Shanti drowned her sadness in long hours at the office.
分手後，Shanti 藉由長時間待在辦公室來掩蓋悲傷。
Darius was drowned in paperwork during his first week at the new job.
Darius 在新工作的第一週就被文書作業淹沒了。
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
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
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。
Dario turned on the radio to drown out the traffic noise from the street.
Dario 打開收音機來蓋過街上的車流噪音。
The children sang loudly to drown out the sound of thunder outside their bedroom.
孩子們大聲唱歌，想蓋過臥室窗外打雷的聲音。
- 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).