drown out — to make a sound so loud that another sound cannot be heard
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to make a sound so loud that another sound cannot be heard
Pronunciation (IPA): /draʊn aʊt/
Example Sentences
- The construction noise drowned out the teacher's lecture.
- My mom's vacuum cleaner drowned out the doorbell, so I missed the pizza delivery.
- He turned up the radio to drown out his neighbor's karaoke session.
drown out
VERB[/draʊn aʊt/]
to make a sound so loud that another sound cannot be heard
to make a sound so loud that another sound cannot be heard
When brown out strikes, voices drown out the silence and crown out the darkness!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old Norse 'drukna', meaning 'to immerse in water' or 'to drown'. The phrase 'drown out' developed metaphorically to describe how sound becomes submerged or overwhelmed by louder noise, paralleling the literal drowning imagery.
Breakdown
drown (from Old Norse drukna, to submerge in water) + out (completely, thoroughly), combining to express the idea of sound being completely overwhelmed or suppressed by louder noise.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The construction noise drowned out the teacher's lecture.”
“My mom's vacuum cleaner drowned out the doorbell, so I missed the pizza delivery.”
“He turned up the radio to drown out his neighbor's karaoke session.”
“The thunderstorm drowned out all other sounds.”
📚Related Words
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