suck sb/sth dry
also suck the life out of sb/sthto remove all useful, valuable qualities or possessions from a person, thing, or place:
That firm sucks its new programmers dry after five years and then fires them.
Big cities suck the surrounding towns dry of local talent.
Out-of-town stores have sucked the life out of the city centre.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Removing and extracting
- ablate
- clear the decks idiom
- cream sth/sb off
- descale
- dislodge
- extract
- gouge
- milk
- pull
- pull (sb/sth) out
- pull a gun, knife, etc. on sb idiom
- pump
- removable
- remove
- root
- rout
- scratch
- siphon
- syphon
- take sth away
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Taking things away from someone or somewhere
Treating people or animals badly