soak
[verb]
Synonyms:
- wet, bathe, damp, drench, immerse, moisten, saturate, steep
- penetrate, permeate, seep
- soak up: absorb, assimilate

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Related Idioms: soak it up like a sponge
Related Words: dip, immerse, submerge, draw, infuse, infiltrate, penetrate, permeate, pervade, water-soak, drown

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English Thesaurus: wet, damp, moist, clammy, soggy, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. soak¹ /səʊk $ soʊk/ verb
[Language: Old English; Origin: socian]

1. [intransitive and transitive] if you soak something, or if you let it soak, you keep it covered with a liquid for a period of time, especially in order to make it softer or easier to clean:
Soak the clothes in cold water.
Let the pans soak; I’ll wash them later.
soak something off/out (=remove it by soaking)
Put the bottle in soapy water to soak the label off.

2. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to make something completely wet:
Police aimed water hoses at the marchers, soaking them.
soak through/into etc
The blood soaked through the bandage.
soak something in/with something
a rag soaked with oil

3. [intransitive] to spend a long time taking a bath:
Soak in a warm bath to relax.

4. [transitive] informal to make someone pay too much money in prices or taxes:
taxes that soak the middle classes
soak something ↔ up phrasal verb

1. if something soaks up a liquid, it takes the liquid into itself:
He used a towel to soak up the blood.

2. soak up the sun/rays/sunshine etc to sit outside for a long time enjoying the sun

3. to enjoy a place by watching it or becoming involved in it:
Go to a sidewalk café, order coffee, and soak up the atmosphere.

4. to learn something quickly and easily:
Children soak up language incredibly quickly.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. soak² noun [singular]

1. a long and enjoyable time spent taking a bath:
I had a good long soak in the bath.

2. British English when you soak something:
Give the towels a good soak, they’re very dirty.

3. an old soak someone who is often drunk – used humorously

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

soak
verb
ADV. completely, thoroughly | overnight | off, out Place the jar in warm water to soak the label off.
VERB + SOAK leave sth to I've left the clothes to soak overnight.
PREP. in Soak the clothes in cold water.
into Water dripped off the table and soaked into the carpet.
through The rain had soaked through every layer of his clothing.
with He soaked the cloth with petrol.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

wet covered in water or another liquid:
I’ve just washed my hair and it’s still wet.
You’d better change out of those wet clothes.
damp slightly wet:
Wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth.
The sheets are still a little damp.
The grass was still too damp to sit on.
moist slightly wet, especially in a pleasant way – used about soil, food, or about someone’s skin or eyes:
It’s important to keep the soil moist.
a delicious moist chocolate cake
Her eyes became moist (=she was almost crying).
clammy feeling slightly wet, cold, and sticky – used about someone’s skin, especially when they are nervous or ill:
He had clammy hands.
Ruby was feverish and clammy with sweat.
soggy unpleasantly wet and soft – used especially about food or the ground:
a bowl of soggy rice
It had been raining hard and the ground was soggy underfoot.
humid/muggy used when the weather is hot but the air feels wet in a way that makes you uncomfortable:
Summers in Tokyo are hot and humid.
a hot muggy day
the humid heat of a tropical forest
soaked [not before noun] very wet all the way through – used especially about people and their clothes:
It absolutely poured with rain and we got soaked.
His shirt was soaked with blood.
drenched [not before noun] very wet – used about a person or area after a lot of rain or water has fallen on them:
Everyone got drenched when a huge wave hit the boat.
The garden was completely drenched after the rain.
saturated extremely wet, and unable to take in any more water or liquid:
His bandage was saturated with blood.
The floods were the result of heavy rainfall on already saturated soil.
waterlogged /ˈwɔːtəlɒɡd $ ˈwɒːtərlɒːɡd, ˈwɑː-, -lɑːɡd/ used about ground that has water on its surface because it is so wet that it cannot take in any more:
The game was cancelled because the field was waterlogged.
sodden British English very wet with water – used about clothes and the ground. Sodden is less common than soaked:
The ground was still sodden.
He took off his sodden shirt.
splash to make someone or something wet by making a lot of small drops of water fall onto them:
The kids were playing around in the pool, splashing each other.
I accidentally splashed soup onto my shirt.
soak to put something in water for a long time or to make something very wet – use this especially when something is put into water or the water comes up from underneath to make it wet:
Soak the beans overnight before cooking.
The rain had come in through the bottom of our tent and completely soaked our clothes.
drench to make someone or something extremely wet with a large amount of water – use this especially when water is poured or falls on something:
He drenched us all with the hose.
Her shirt was drenched in sweat.
saturate formal to completely cover or fill something with liquid, so that it is wet all the way through:
Heavy rains had saturated the ground.
flood to cover an area of land with a large amount of water:
Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.
moisten to make something slightly wet by putting a small amount of water or another liquid on it, especially to stop it from getting too dry:
Add just enough water to moisten the cake mixture.
Tom paused and moistened his lips.
dampen to make something slightly wet by putting a little water on it:
Rain came in through the window, dampening the curtains.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

wet to put water or another liquid onto something to make it wet. In spoken English, people will often use get something wet rather than wet:
He wet the washcloth and washed Tom’s face.
splash to make someone or something wet by making a lot of small drops of water fall onto them:
The kids were playing around in the pool, splashing each other.
I accidentally splashed soup onto my shirt.
soak to put something in water for a long time or to make something very wet – use this especially when something is put into water or the water comes up from underneath to make it wet:
Soak the beans overnight before cooking.
The rain had come in through the bottom of our tent and completely soaked our clothes.
drench to make someone or something extremely wet with a large amount of water – use this especially when water is poured or falls on something:
He drenched us all with the hose.
Her shirt was drenched in sweat.
saturate formal to completely cover or fill something with liquid, so that it is wet all the way through:
Heavy rains had saturated the ground.
flood to cover an area of land with a large amount of water:
Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.
moisten to make something slightly wet by putting a small amount of water or another liquid on it, especially to stop it from getting too dry:
Add just enough water to moisten the cake mixture.
Tom paused and moistened his lips.
dampen to make something slightly wet by putting a little water on it:
Rain came in through the window, dampening the curtains.
earthquake a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface that often causes a lot of damage:
A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
It was the biggest earthquake to hit the Pacific Northwest for 52 years.
drought a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live:
The country experienced its worst drought this century.
In East Africa, three years of drought have left 10 million people in urgent need of food and water.
famine a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
Poor harvests led to famine.
4,000,000 people are threatened by famine in northern Ethiopia.
hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
extreme weather such as hurricanes
Hurricane Andrew left southern Florida in ruins.
typhoon a violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A typhoon has hit the Philippines, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting trees.
tsunami a very large wave, caused by extreme conditions such as an earthquake, which can cause a lot of damage when it reaches land:
Thousands of people were killed in the tsunami.
Many Pacific earthquakes have generated tsunamis.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲