drowse
/ˈdɹaʊ̯z/verb, noun
drowse is spelled D-R-O-W-S-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 46 million words in written English, the 209,386th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, drowse means “To make (someone or something) heavy with drowsiness or sleepiness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in drowse?
| Letters | 6: D-R-O-W-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 46 million words; the 209,386th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is drowse?
Drowse appears about once in every 46 million words in written English, the 209,386th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce drowse?
- US /ˈdɹaʊ̯z/
- /ˈdɹæʊ̯z/
- /ˈdɹaːz/
Drowse has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-drowse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with drowse?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as drowse from its last stressed vowel (/aʊz/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: dowser.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of drowse
- drowses present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- drowsing participle, present
- drowsed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does drowse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make (someone or something) heavy with drowsiness or sleepiness.
- 2
Followed by away: to pass (time) drowsily or in sleeping; also, to proceed (on a way) drowsily or sleepily.
- 3
To make (someone or something) dull or inactive, as if from sleepiness.
- 4
Often followed by away or off: to be drowsy or sleepy; to be half-asleep.
- 5
To be dull or inactive, as if from sleepiness.
noun
- 1
An act, or a state, of being drowsy or sleepy.
in a drowse
- 2
A state of dullness or inactivity, as if from sleepiness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Drowse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | amodorrecer (desus.), amodorrar, modorrar |
| French | somnolence |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.