soaked

1. 1
   adjective

   Thoroughly wet from having absorbed or been covered in water or another liquid.

   The hikers arrived soaked to the bone after wading across the river.

   His shirt was soaked with sweat by the final whistle.

   Similarwet, drenched, soggy, saturated, dripping

   Oppositedry

   Note

   The literal adjective, and the picture the slang senses borrow. It compares with more and most rather than with -er and -est: more soaked, most soaked. The liquid is introduced with with (soaked with sweat), and an intensifying phrase often follows, as in soaked to the bone. Its near neighbors are saturated and sodden.

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past tense and past participle of soak.

   Heavy rain soaked the fields throughout the night.

   The cloth had soaked up most of the spill before she returned.

   Note

   A regular past form, so one spelling serves the simple past (the rain soaked the fields), the perfect (has soaked) and the passive (was soaked). It often keeps its particle, as in soaked up the spill. In the passive it can also mean overcharged: the tourists got soaked. After be, a by-phrase (soaked by the rain) marks the verb rather than the adjective meaning drenched.

3. 3
   adjectiveslangBritish

   Extremely drunk; heavily intoxicated by alcohol.

   He stumbled in well past midnight, utterly soaked and reeking of whiskey.

   Half the wedding party was already soaked before the speeches began.

   Similardrunk, plastered, smashed, hammered, wasted

   Oppositesober

   Note

   British slang for drunkenness, and it has a pedigree: the verb soak was once slang for drinking heavily, and the adjective names the result. It belongs to casual talk and stories from the pub, not to reports or polite company. An American listener may hear it as drenched, or as the US slang for beaten up.

4. 4
   adjectiveslangUS

   Beaten up; having been punched or physically assaulted.

   He came back from the alley soaked and nursing a split lip.

   The loser of the brawl staggered off soaked and bruised.

   Similarbattered, beaten

   Note

   Here the soaking is done with fists: a thorough beating is pictured as a drenching inflicted on the victim. Because came back soaked could just as easily mean wet, the word usually travels with signs of a fight, such as a split lip, bruises or a brawl. Without that context the literal meaning wins, so keep it to casual American speech.

Showing meanings only. Show all 4