Get a gulp of this lesson! What’s the past tense of the verb drink? Is it drank, drunk, or drunken?
“Drink”, “drank” or “drunk”?
In English, not all verbs are created equal: some have one form, some have two, and some even have three verb conjugations. How should each form of the irregular verb drink be used? For the short answer, it’s below. For the full answer—you know what to do—read the full post.
The short answer—to drink
To define the subject topic, the verb drink, as described by Collins Dictionary, is “when you drink a liquid, you take it into your mouth and swallow it: he drank his cup of tea.“
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I drink | I drank | I will drunk |
| Continuous | I am drinking | I was drinking | I will be drinking |
| Perfect | I have drunk | I had drunk | I will have drunk |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been drinking | I had been drinking | I will have been drinking |
Note: while drunk is the past participle form of drink, nowadays it’s more often used as an adjective to describe someone as intoxicated or under the influence.
Also in modern use, drunk is sometimes used in the simple past rather than as a past participle. Drank, likewise, is used as a past participle rather than the simple past of drink. From a historical and technical standpoint this is incorrect form, but it’s been the subject of debate, and some lexicographers (Samuel Johnson) endorsed drunk as a simple past tense variant.
How to use the past tense of drink
In English, regular verbs end in –ed in their past tense forms. Irregular verbs end in something other than –ed. Drink/drank/drunk are therefore irregular, since they do not use ‘ed’ in their past conjugations. It belongs to the class of irregular verbs with 2 forms (in the past tense).
| Base verb | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| grow | grew | grown |
| give | gave | given |
| begin | began | begun |
| sing | sang | sung |
| drink | drank | drunk |
Examples of “drink”, “drank”, and “drunk” in sentences
| Form | Sentence Example |
|---|---|
| Present (drink) | I don’t drink coffee. What would you like to drink? In hot weather, drink plenty of water. It’s relaxing to drink cocoa by the fireplace. He doesn’t drink. |
| Past (drank) | She drank from a tall glass. Sixty pounds for two greedy people who drank quite a lot. She opened the can and drank thirstily. We drank a bottle of wine between us. I don’t like energy drinks, but I have drank espresso in France before events! — Chantae McMillan, quoted in The Performance Kitchen, 27 Apr. 2017 |
| Past Participle (drunk) | She has never drunk hot chocolate before. I have drunk my fill of lemonade this summer. Yes, I have drunk wine before. I think he’s drunk too much. She has never drunk hot chocolate before. |
Create flashcards with example sentences using “drink,” “drank,” and “drunk” in different tenses to reinforce their correct usage. Focus on the context of each sentence to understand when to use each form.
Synonyms and phrases with drink
| Synonym of “drink” | Phrase with “drink” | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sip | you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink | You can provide someone with an opportunity but can’t force them to take advantage of it. |
| gulp | to be a tall drink of water | A way to describe someone as tall and attractive. |
| imbibe | to drink with the flies | To drink alone, mostly heard in Australia. |
| swallow | to be meat and drink | To be especially appealing. |
| quaff | to drink when the sun is over the yardarm | A time permissible for cocktails or some other alcoholic drink. |
| down | to be the straw that stirs the drink | To be the most essential part of something. |
| chug | to be in the drink | To be in water. |
| slurp | to drink like a fish | To drink copious amounts of alcohol. |
| toast | drive someone to drink | To cause someone so much stress that they go to alcohol. |
| partake | to drink someone under the table | To be able to drink much more alcohol than someone else. |
| sample | be like drinking from a fire hose | For something to be extremely overwhelming. |
| refresh | eat, drink, and be merry | Meant literally; to celebrate and enjoy appetitive pleasures. |
Origin of the word drink
Old English: Drincan — “to swallow water or other fluid,” also “to swallow up, engulf”
Practice: drink/drank/drunk
The shipwrecked sailor, delirious from thirst, _______ saltwater before realizing his grave mistake.
My cat is quite spoiled; she has _______ water exclusively from a crystal goblet her entire life.
He looked exhausted because he had _______ three espressos before the meeting even started.
According to legend, the ghost in the old tavern _______ a single shot of whiskey at the bar each night.
If you make your famous iced tea for the party, I promise everyone _______ it.
FAQs
What’s the simple past tense of “drink”?
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Is “drunk” ever the simple past tense?
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When do I use “drank” versus “drunk”?
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Is “drink” a regular or irregular verb?
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What are the past tense forms of “drink”?
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Sources
- Thesaurus.com, definition of drink.
Yash, D. "How to Use Drank vs. Drunk (Irregular Verb Conjugations)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/drank-vs-drunk/.
