drowse

1 of 2

verb

drowsed; drowsing

intransitive verb

1
: to be inactive
2
: to fall into a light slumber

transitive verb

1
: to make drowsy or inactive
2
: to pass (time) drowsily or in drowsing

drowse

2 of 2

noun

: the act or an instance of drowsing : doze

Examples of drowse in a Sentence

Verb picnickers drowsing in the shade of an oak tree Noun was just falling into a drowse when you called
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Stars lounged and drowsed: Muhammad Ali with a newspaper, Peter Cook in his old mac on a lilo in a Hollywood pool. The Economist, 21 Nov. 2019
Noun
The wealthy suburb of Phoenix drowses in the heat of the Sonoran Desert, sprinkled with luxury resorts catering to snowbirds in what Arizonans call the Valley of the Sun. Lynette Rice, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drowse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably akin to Goth driusan to fall — more at dreary

First Known Use

Verb

1573, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drowse was in 1573

Dictionary Entries Near drowse

Cite this Entry

“Drowse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drowse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

drowse

verb
ˈdrau̇z
drowsed; drowsing
: doze
drowse noun

More from Merriam-Webster on drowse

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!