siphoning

verb

variants also syphoning
present participle of siphon
1
as in draining
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely I let the stranded motorist siphon some of my gas so he could be on his way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in funneling
to cause to move to a central point or along a restricted pathway investigators discovered that the so-called charitable organization was siphoning funds for personal use

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of siphoning The fats and oils inside the tank did not physically change when thieves began siphoning them out. — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026 The couple were weighing their options last year when life began siphoning off their savings. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Brian Fallon had been siphoning this not just from Bruce though. — Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 9 Sep. 2026 The duo are accused of siphoning more than $620,000 in funds from a manufacturing company into their own pockets. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Some industry observers, though, have sounded an alarm that increasingly high prices for superstar tours which are guaranteed instant sellouts may be siphoning off consumer dollars from mid-level acts, whose ticket prices are also going up. — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 July 2026 And with a handful of film distributors siphoning a greater portion of box office revenue, the states argue that theaters will likely be forced to raise ticket prices and slash investments for larger screens, luxury seating and concessions. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026 Advertisement But the recent surge of new groups has confused CEOs, donors, and other key constituencies by pursuing often wildly divergent messages and contradictory agendas, inadvertently establishing circular firing squads, undermining unity, and siphoning resources from credible expert voices. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 The City Council pushes back by siphoning from long-term infrastructure needs. — Paul Krueger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for siphoning
  1. draining
  2. funneling
  3. pumping
  4. directing
  5. channeling
  6. carrying
  7. conducting
  8. piping
Verb
  • This severe segmentation can be emotionally draining and erodes commitment to the organization.
    — Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • For years, hospitals have been buying and building outpatient centers, and then funneling more care to them.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Despite funneling $40 billion into enterprise investment, 95 percent of organizations are not yet seeing any returns.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of funneling
Verb
  • There’s a scene at the end, where Frances celebrates something by pumping her fist.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Backside homer off a guy pumping a 100 with one fastball that goes up and one that goes down.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of pumping
Verb
  • The laser accelerated electrons through a gas, directing them into a solid target to create light bursts that generated muon pairs.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • From labor struggles and lynching to desegregation, Murray served as the ethical voice of reason, directing Roosevelt to use her immensely powerful position on behalf of righteous causes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of directing
Verb
  • More than two years later, Selma Blair is taking the fallout over her Islamophobic comments and channeling it into a documentary about antisemitism.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The president has reworked Russia’s economy and political system around the conflict, channeling investment into weapons factories and making loud proponents of the war central figures in the country’s government.
    — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of channeling
Verb
  • An ammunition depot was hit, as were a bulk carrier in the Chornomorsk port carrying dual-use goods and port infrastructure in Izmail, the ministry said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • As the hundreds of thousands of people made their way down the narrow roads following the politician, a few rerouted into the industry event, still carrying big flags and with faces lit up with hope.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of carrying
Verb
  • The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that HHS couldn’t vary payment rates by hospital group without first conducting the acquisition-cost survey required by statute.
    — Casey B. Mulligan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Pictures show commuters conducting a moment of silence on the highway, the Dizengoff Fountain filled with red dye and a memorial beach installation honoring lives lost in the 2023 attacks.
    — Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of conducting
Verb
  • Riyadh has brought oil exports close to prewar levels by piping crude to the Red Sea and sending tankers through Hormuz, despite Iranian threats.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Lucid offers a couple of relaxation videos that span both screens, while also piping in atmospheric audio to transport you to the beach or lakeside.
    — Tyler Hayes, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of piping

Browse Nearby Words

siphoned
siphoning
siphons
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Siphoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/siphoning. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All