Illustration of siphon
- siphon 1a
variants
or less commonly syphon
1
a
: a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow
b
usually syphon
: a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened
2
: any of various tubular organs in animals and especially mollusks or arthropods that are used for drawing in or ejecting fluids
variants
or less commonly syphon
siphoned also syphoned; siphoning also syphoning
ˈsī-fə-niŋ 
ˈsīf-niŋ
: to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon
—often used with off
: to pass by or as if by a siphon
Synonyms
Examples of siphon in a Sentence
Verb
The water needs to be siphoned from the pool.
She illegally siphoned money out of other people's bank accounts.
Funds were siphoned from the schools to build a new stadium.
The large chain stores are siphoning profits from the small local stores.
Recent Examples on the Web
Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2023
While some bars use substances like agar-agar and xanthan gum to create eggless foams and froths, some of those require nitrous-oxide siphons or other equipment.
—M. Carrie Allan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2024
On a gurney, a brain-dead patient lay connected to a whirring Rube Goldberg-esque machine: a tangle of tubes and siphons on wheels.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 18 Jan. 2024
The original plan called for permanently closing siphons.
—Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023
The new slide said the siphons will be left open as needed.
—Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023
Indigenous people say that falsely claiming and appropriating their identity siphons away resources and opportunities from Indigenous people and fuels harmful stereotypes in a country where the real trauma Indigenous people have experienced has often been dismissed.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023
To meet that demand, private companies producing sugar (and, later, pineapples) rerouted the flow from Maui’s watersheds, building concrete ditches, tunnels, pipes, flumes, siphons, and trestles across the island.
—Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
The whole body, from its base all the way up to the siphons, is complete.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2024
Over the last decade, streaming video platforms have gradually siphoned away viewers from traditional TV networks.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
For the first time, the lead consultant to Florida Senate Republicans has admitted to hiring a disgraced ex-senator and approving a dirty trick to recruit a third-party candidate to siphon votes from a South Florida Democrat.
—Mario Alejandro Ariza, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Its goal greatly worried Democrats and their supporters who figured an allegedly centrist candidate would siphon more votes from Biden, leading to a spoiler effect that would help Trump win in November.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
The more raffles offered for individual species, the less money each will raise, because each contest siphons support from the next.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2024
Ralph Nader, a Green Party candidate, siphoned votes away from Vice President Al Gore in the nail-biter 2000 presidential race against George W. Bush.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
According to my calculations, between 35 and 40 percent of GDP is being siphoned off the circular flow of income by cloud rent, and that means there is less money in the economy.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors say Patel created an elaborate scheme to siphon money while avoiding detection between September 2019 and February 2023.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
For a bowl of mushroom ramen, the broth is heated tableside in a Japanese coffee siphon, a complexly vertical contraption that looks like lab equipment and is thrillingly, pointlessly dramatic as a vehicle for soup.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2023
While some bars use substances like agar-agar and xanthan gum to create eggless foams and froths, some of those require nitrous-oxide siphons or other equipment.
—M. Carrie Allan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2024
On a gurney, a brain-dead patient lay connected to a whirring Rube Goldberg-esque machine: a tangle of tubes and siphons on wheels.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 18 Jan. 2024
The original plan called for permanently closing siphons.
—Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023
The new slide said the siphons will be left open as needed.
—Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023
Indigenous people say that falsely claiming and appropriating their identity siphons away resources and opportunities from Indigenous people and fuels harmful stereotypes in a country where the real trauma Indigenous people have experienced has often been dismissed.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023
To meet that demand, private companies producing sugar (and, later, pineapples) rerouted the flow from Maui’s watersheds, building concrete ditches, tunnels, pipes, flumes, siphons, and trestles across the island.
—Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
The whole body, from its base all the way up to the siphons, is complete.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
Verb
Many Democrats have spoken out against the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket, saying it is destined to siphon votes from President Joe Biden and deliver the White House to former President Donald Trump.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2024
Over the last decade, streaming video platforms have gradually siphoned away viewers from traditional TV networks.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
For the first time, the lead consultant to Florida Senate Republicans has admitted to hiring a disgraced ex-senator and approving a dirty trick to recruit a third-party candidate to siphon votes from a South Florida Democrat.
—Mario Alejandro Ariza, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Its goal greatly worried Democrats and their supporters who figured an allegedly centrist candidate would siphon more votes from Biden, leading to a spoiler effect that would help Trump win in November.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
The more raffles offered for individual species, the less money each will raise, because each contest siphons support from the next.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2024
Ralph Nader, a Green Party candidate, siphoned votes away from Vice President Al Gore in the nail-biter 2000 presidential race against George W. Bush.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
According to my calculations, between 35 and 40 percent of GDP is being siphoned off the circular flow of income by cloud rent, and that means there is less money in the economy.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors say Patel created an elaborate scheme to siphon money while avoiding detection between September 2019 and February 2023.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'siphon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near siphon
Cite this Entry
“Siphon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siphon. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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