Meaning & use
quench your thirst
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Meanings
phraseidiom
To drink something so that you no longer feel thirsty.
Grammar: Used with a possessive adjective (my, your, his, etc.) or without one: quench your thirst, quench a thirst.
Patterns
- quench your thirst
- quench your thirst with something
- quench a thirst
After the long hike, we stopped at a stream to quench our thirst.
A glass of cold lemonade will quickly quench your thirst on a hot day.
She bought a bottle of water to quench her thirst before the meeting.
phraseidiomfigurative
To satisfy a strong desire or need for something.
Grammar: Often used figuratively with nouns like 'curiosity', 'desire', or 'thirst for knowledge'.
Patterns
- quench your thirst for something
- quench a thirst for knowledge
Reading travel books helped quench his thirst for adventure.
The new art course quenched her thirst for creative expression.
Common combinations
- quench your thirst with water
- You can quench your thirst with water from the fountain.
- quench a thirst
- Nothing quenches a thirst like iced tea.
- quench your thirst for knowledge
- She took extra classes to quench her thirst for knowledge.
- thirst-quenching drink
- This thirst-quenching drink is perfect for summer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- satisfy your thirst
- More neutral and formal; it can refer to any need, not just physical thirst.
- slake your thirst
- Literary or old-fashioned; it sounds more dramatic than 'quench'.
Word family
- thirst-quenching adjective
- Describes a drink that removes thirst.
Commonly confused: quench your thirst or quench your hunger?
quench your thirst vs quench your hunger
Not standard; use 'satisfy your hunger' or 'quell your hunger' instead.
Practice
After the marathon, she drank two bottles of water to _____ her thirst.
Choose one answer.
'Quench' is the most common verb for getting rid of thirst. 'Satisfy' is possible but less idiomatic here; 'fill' and 'dry' do not collocate with 'thirst' in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quench your thirst”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.