quenchquench /kwentʃ/ verb [transitive] formal 
We stopped at a small bar to quench our thirst.2quench a fire/flames to stop a fire from burning: a desperate bid to quench the raging flames
WORD ORIGINquench
Origin:
Old English cwencanVERB TABLE
quench
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | quench |
| he, she, it | quenches | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | quenched |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have quenched |
| he, she, it | has quenched | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had quenched |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will quench |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have quenched |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am quenching |
| he, she, it | is quenching | |
| you, we, they | are quenching | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was quenching |
| you, we, they | were quenching | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been quenching |
| he, she, it | has been quenching | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been quenching |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be quenching |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been quenching |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Needless to say, it shows that oil is a bargain, though perhaps less thirst quenching.
- Not that this deterred him; he was determined to break one open and quench his thirst.
- Some little flames may be individually quenched, but there is a certain pattern to them.
- There would be water from the sink to quench his thirst, and that would buy him some time.
- They had been desires to be quenched, as he had quenched other desires over the years.
- While life as a sailor was harsh, his thirst for the sea was not quenched.
Longman Language Activatorto drink something
to take liquid into your mouth and swallow it: · Drink your coffee before it gets cold.· Is this water safe to drink?· He was drinking vodka straight from the bottle.· She picked up the cup and began to drink thirstily.
to have a drink of something: · We always have tea in the morning.· Robin was driving, so he just had a glass of orange juice.· We had a couple of beers and talked about old times.have a drink (of something): · Can I have a drink of water, please?· Sit down and have a drink.
to drink a small amount or a single mouthful of something: · He was very weak, but managed to take a mouthful of water from my bottle.· Jody took another sip of wine.
to drink something slowly, in very small amounts: · Sue sat at the bar sipping a Martini.· She sipped water all the way through the interview.
written to drink something in order to stop being thirsty: · We stopped in a small village to quench our thirst and refuel the jeep.
to drink liquid while making a noisy sucking sound: · He bent his face over the steaming bowl and slurped loudly.· The old man started to slurp his beer.
if an animal laps or laps up a liquid, it drinks it with quick movements of its tongue: · We spotted the cubs lapping water from a stream in the forest.lap something up: · The tiny creature started to lap the milk up eagerly.lap up something: · A large dog lapped up the gravy that had spilt on the floor.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Ice water is the only thing that really quenches my thirst (=gets rid of it).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
Ice water is the only thing that really quenches my thirst (=gets rid of it).· I quenched the candle flame with my fingers and slid into the bed chamber.· Edward pulls out the splinter and hugs her to his chest to quench the flame.
· Not that this deterred him; he was determined to break one open and quench his thirst.· There would be water from the sink to quench his thirst, and that would buy him some time.· Fire is for heat and water to quench our thirst.· I pressed snow against my bruised face, and managed to melt more snow in my mouth to quench my thirst.· Try to quench your thirst with a light, fresh white and you will drink enough to put you on your back.· Both nobles and plebeians quench the thirst of their lust here.· It will not quench your thirst faster or make you even sexier than you were before.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► quench a fire/flames
1quench your thirst to stop yourself feeling thirsty, by drinking something: - After exercising, fruit juices are excellent because they quench your thirst.
- Iced tea really quenches your thirst.
- We stopped in a small village to quench our thirst and refuel the jeep.
- Fire is for heat and water to quench our thirst.
- I pressed snow against my bruised face, and managed to melt more snow in my mouth to quench my thirst.
- It will not quench your thirst faster or make you even sexier than you were before.
- Not that this deterred him; he was determined to break one open and quench his thirst.
- There would be water from the sink to quench his thirst, and that would buy him some time.
- Try to quench your thirst with a light, fresh white and you will drink enough to put you on your back.
We stopped at a small bar to quench our thirst.2quench a fire/flames to stop a fire from burning: a desperate bid to quench the raging flames