Meanings
- idiomaticIn or into a body of water.
"I'm broke. I came down here wondering whether I'd better throw myself in the drink."
1907, Samuel Hopkins Adams, Stewart Edward White, chapter 8, in The Mystery2 more examples
"I've been in the drink," and he related the tale of his recent adventures. "Your raftsman saved my life."
1920, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 44, in Kindred of the DustWhen it comes to cameras, the only thing worse than dropping one on the ground is dropping one in the drink.
2010 May 24, Peter Ha, “Point, Click, Drop and Dive”, in Time - datedidiomaticpossiblyUnder the influence of an intoxicating beverage.
[H]e ain't so bad neither, when he's not in the drink. He's sorry he hit me now."
1892, W. H. Hudson, chapter 1, in Fan: The Story of a Young Girl's Life2 more examples
"It's no place for the loike o' yez," she said. "An' it black noight, an' men and women wild in the drink; an' Pat Harrigan insoide bloind an' mad in liquor."
c. 1893, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Saint Elizabeth"I cannot tell what I may have done in the drink. I may even have told his name, though I remember nothing about it!"
1896, George MacDonald, chapter 12, in Salted With FireSynonyms: drunk
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseUnder the influence of an intoxicating beverage.
Cite this entry
in the drink. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20drink
“in the drink.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20drink. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the drink,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20drink.
Source: in the drink on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.