soak

1.nounB1

Definition

a length of time that something spends sitting in water or another liquid, usually to clean it or make it softer

Example

Give the dried beans a good soak overnight before cooking them.

collocation: give something a soak

After the long hike, Tara took a long soak in the hot tub.

collocation: have/take a soak

Common collocations

a good soak
a long soak
give something a soak
need a soak

Synonyms

bath
more specific — usually refers to a full-body wash, not just soaking in water
steeping
more specific — used for leaving something in hot liquid (e.g., tea) to extract flavour

Grammar Patterns

a + soak

give something a soak

have a soak

Usage Note

Usually singular and used with an indefinite article or possessive.

2.nounC1

Definition

an informal and disapproving word for someone who habitually drinks large amounts of alcohol

Example

The old soak at the corner table had already drunk three bottles of wine.

informal register: old soak

Nobody wanted to hire him once everyone knew he was a soak.

Common collocations

old soak
be a soak

Synonyms

alcoholic
more clinical and neutral; 'soak' is informal and slightly humorous
drunkard
more formal and old-fashioned, 'soak' is more colloquial

Grammar Patterns

a + soak

Usage Note

Strongly informal and somewhat dated. Rarely used in modern everyday conversation except humorously.

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1

Definition

when a liquid causes something to become completely wet, or when a material takes in liquid through its surface

Example

The rain soaked through Christopher's jacket and made his shirt wet.

phrasal pattern: soak through [something]

Zuri soaked a clean towel in warm water and placed it on her forehead.

transitive: soak [something] in [liquid]

Common collocations

soak through
soak into
soak up
get soaked
be soaked in

Synonyms

drench
stronger — suggests being completely and heavily wet
saturate
more formal — suggests being fully filled with liquid, no more can be absorbed
absorb
focuses on the material taking in liquid, not the liquid making something wet

Antonyms

dry
wring out
to remove liquid by twisting

Grammar Patterns

soak something

soak through something

soak something up

something soaks into

Usage Note

Can be used transitively (the rain soaked the ground) or intransitively (the water soaked into the wood). The phrasal verb 'soak up' adds the idea of absorbing liquid like a sponge.

Common Mistakes

The rain soaked through my jacket in

The rain soaked through my jacket in minutes.

'soak through' needs a result or time phrase to sound natural.

I soaked the water with a towel

I soaked up the water with a towel.

the liquid is soaked up, not the towel.

2.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

to place an item in water or another liquid and let it sit for a while, with the aim of cleaning it, softening its texture, or adding flavour

Example

Adina soaked the dried chickpeas overnight before making hummus.

collocation: soak [beans/grains] overnight

Hyun soaked his stained shirt in cold water and detergent for an hour.

purpose: cleaning

Common collocations

soak in water
soak overnight
soak for [time]
leave to soak

Synonyms

steep
more specific — used mainly for tea or herbs in hot liquid
marinate
more specific — used for food in a seasoned liquid before cooking
submerge
more formal — simply means to put under the surface of a liquid without implying a purpose

Antonyms

drain
to remove liquid from something
dry

Grammar Patterns

soak something in [liquid]

soak [food/clothing] for [time]

leave something to soak

Usage Note

The purpose is always deliberate — cleaning, softening, or flavouring. When the goal is simply to make something wet, use sense 1 instead.

Common Mistakes

Soak the rice before cooking it

Soak the rice for thirty minutes before cooking it.

adding a time phrase makes the sentence clearer.

3.verbintransitiveC1

Definition

to consume large amounts of alcoholic drinks, especially as a regular habit that harms your health or life

Example

Iker spent most of his twenties soaking in cheap bars around the city.

informal register: soaking = drinking heavily

The novel tells the story of a writer who soaks away his sorrows every night.

Common collocations

soak away
soak in a bar
be soaking

Synonyms

binge drink
more modern — describes heavy drinking in a short period
hit the bottle
idiomatic — also informal, implies regular heavy drinking

Grammar Patterns

soak

be soaking

soak oneself

Usage Note

Informal and slightly old-fashioned. 'Soak' as a verb for drinking is less common in modern English than 'binge drink' or 'hit the bottle'.

4.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

to make someone pay far more than the usual or fair price for something, in a way that feels dishonest

Example

The taxi driver soaked the tourists for three times the normal fare.

pattern: soak [someone] for [amount]

Paloma felt the mechanic had soaked her for simple repairs on her car.

Common collocations

soak someone for
get soaked
soak the tourists

Synonyms

overcharge
neutral and direct; 'soak' is more informal and suggests a bigger, more unfair overcharge
rip off
equally informal, very common in everyday speech
fleece
informal but slightly more dramatic, implies being cheated out of a large sum

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

soak someone for [amount]

get soaked

Usage Note

Always transitive, usually followed by 'for' indicating the price or amount. 'Get soaked' is the common passive form.

Common Mistakes

The shop soaked me $50

The shop soaked me for $50.

the preposition 'for' is required before the amount.

Phrasal verbs

soak up

phrasal verb

to absorb a liquid into a material, or to enjoy a particular experience or atmosphere fully

Darius used a cloth to soak up the oil that had leaked onto the kitchen floor.

Rania sat on the balcony soaking up the warm afternoon sun after a long week.

soak off

phrasal verb

To remove something by leaving it in water for a period of time.

Maya soaked off the old wallpaper with warm water.

Can you soak off the label from this jar?

soak out

phrasal verb

To remove a substance by leaving it in water for a period of time.

Diego soaked out the stain from his shirt using soap.

She soaked out the salt from the fish before cooking.

Word family

soaked
adjectiveB1
soaking
adjectiveB1
soaker
nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe making something wet, but they differ in degree and context. 'Soak' (verb/1) is the most general — it means liquid penetrates a material fully, whether by being poured on or absorbed over time. 'Drench' is stronger and more dramatic, suggesting water falls heavily on something ('The rain drenched the wedding party'). 'Saturate' is more technical and formal — it means the material can hold no more liquid ('The sponge was completely saturated'). 'Sop' is rarer and often used with 'up' for absorbing liquid ('He sopped up the gravy with bread'). 'Souse' is old-fashioned and often humorous, meaning to soak in liquid or to douse something thoroughly ('She soused the fish in lemon juice'). For everyday use, 'soak' is the safest and most common choice.

drenchsaturatesopsouse

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

soak up
soak through
leave to soak
get soaked

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'soak' comes from Old English 'socian' meaning 'to soak, steep, or saturate in water,' which is related to 'sūcan' (to suck). Its earliest uses described the action of liquid being absorbed into a material. By the 1600s, it had taken on the figurative meaning of drinking heavily, and by the 1800s, the financial sense of overcharging had emerged in American English slang.

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soak

soak — noun

1. a length of time that something spends sitting in water or another liquid, usual

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

2. an informal and disapproving word for someone who habitually drinks large amount

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

soak — verb

1. when a liquid causes something to become completely wet, or when a material take

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. to place an item in water or another liquid and let it sit for a while, with the

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. to consume large amounts of alcoholic drinks, especially as a regular habit that

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

4. to make someone pay far more than the usual or fair price for something, in a wa

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

soak up

soak off

soak out

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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