drain away
1. To flow or move away from something, as of a liquid. Don't worry, once the rain stops, all of this water will drain away from the sidewalk. Water from that leak isn't just going to drain away—you'll have to suck it up with your wet-dry vacuum. Now that we've fixed the gutters, the rain should drain away from our roof nicely.
2. To cause a liquid to flow or move away from something else. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "drain" and "away." I had to drain the broth away from the noodles to get my daughter to eat the soup. You dry Molly off, and I'll drain the water away and start cleaning up bathroom. If you drain away some of the excess water, it'll free up space in the pot for other ingredients.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
drain something away
(from something ) to channel some liquid away from something. Drain all of the standing water away from the foundation of the house. Drain away the water from the foundation.
drain away
[for something] to flow away. All the water drained away and exposed the mud and rocks on the bottom of the pond. When the water drained away, we found three snapping turtles in the bottom of the pond.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.