Soak Meaning
/səʊk/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it.
verbTo immerse in liquid to the point of saturation or thorough permeation.
Sentence Examples
You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water.
Japanese love to soak in a hot tub before bed.
I usually soak the beans overnight.
CEFR Practice Quiz
To remove the dried food, she let the pots ____ in soapy water for an hour.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should ____ the dirty dishes in soapy water for a while to make them easier to clean.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”). Cognate with Middle Dutch soken (“to cause to suck”). More at suck.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Their land shall be soaked with blood."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 24:7:
"The rivulet beneath […]soaked its way obscurely through wreaths of snow."
— 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
"The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff."
— 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
"It's a blackmail ring, and the district attorneys get a share of the loot. […] Well, they got him in the same kind of jam, and soaked him to the tune of three hundred and eighty-six thousand."
— 1928, Upton Sinclair, Boston, New York, N.Y.: Albert & Charles Boni, page 337:
"Sure, if we own an aerospace contracting company, a five-thousand-acre sugar-beet farm, or a savings and loan with the president's son on the board of directors, we can soak Uncle Sucker for millions."
— 2015, P. J. O'Rourke, Thrown Under the Omnibus: A Reader:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To remove the dried food, she let the pots ____ in soapy water for an hour.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should ____ the dirty dishes in soapy water for a while to make them easier to clean.