How do you use "Down the drain" in a sentence?

All that work went down the drain. Thousands of pounds down the drain. Years of effort down the drain.

Down the drain

Q: What does "Down the drain" mean?

Wasted; lost beyond recovery. When effort, money, or opportunity is completely wasted with no possibility of recovery.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Meaning: Wasted; lost beyond recovery.

浪费掉；无法挽回地失去。

Desperdiciado; perdido sin posibilidad de recuperación.

無駄になった、取り返しのつかない損失。

낭비된, 돌이킬 수 없이 잃어버린.

When effort, money, or opportunity is completely wasted with no possibility of recovery.

努力、金钱或机会被完全浪费，无法挽回。

Cuando el esfuerzo, dinero u oportunidad se desperdicia completamente sin posibilidad de recuperación.

努力やお金、機会が完全に無駄になり、回復の見込みがないこと。

노력, 돈 또는 기회가 회복 가능성 없이 완전히 낭비되었을 때 쓰는 표현.

Literal meaning: Washed down a drain (lost forever)

Examples

All that work went down the drain.
所有的努力都白费了
Todo ese trabajo se fue por el desagüe
あの努力が全部水の泡になった
그 모든 노력이 물거품이 되었다.
Thousands of pounds down the drain.
几千英镑打水漂了
Miles de libras tiradas a la basura
何千ポンドもドブに捨てた
수천 파운드가 허공에 날아갔다.
Years of effort down the drain.
多年的努力付诸东流
Años de esfuerzo tirados por la borda
何年もの努力が無駄になった
수년간의 노력이 물거품이 되었다.

Pronunciation

/daʊn ðə dreɪn/

Usage Guide

Context: waste, loss, failure

Tone: frustrated, disappointed

✓ Do Say

All down the drain.
全都打水漂了
Todo tirado por la borda
全部水の泡だ
전부 물거품이야
Went down the drain.
付之东流了
Se fue por el desague
無駄になった
허사가 됐어
Money down the drain.
钱都打水漂了
Dinero tirado a la basura
お金をドブに捨てた
돈을 날렸어

✗ Don't Say

Wasted
Wasted（太普通）
Wasted（menos expresivo）
Wasted（味気ない）
Wasted (밋밋함)
Lost
Lost（不够形象）
Lost（demasiado simple）
Lost（弱すぎる）
Lost (표현이 약함)

Common Mistakes

Very common expression
Always negative

Origin & History

From water going down a drain—lost and unrecoverable.

Etymology: English idiom

First recorded: 20th century

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Common expression; Financial discussions

Regional notes: Universal across English-speaking world.

Variations

Down the drainGo down the drainWent down the drain