Grammar fix
drown out
overpower a sound
to make another sound impossible to hear by being much louder than it
phrasal verbC1occasional
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
The noise from the construction site drowned out the speaker's voice completely.
In my opinion, it's difficult to concentrate in open-plan offices because conversations and phone calls often drown out your own thoughts.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The crowd drowned his voice out down.
Say: The crowd drowned out his voice. / drowned his voice out.
'Drown out' is complete — don't add 'down'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Drown out' is the precise verb for one sound burying another; the long paraphrase is clumsy.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
drown out + sound
- the music
- his voice
- the noise
- the announcement