soak

v.

1. To drench

   drench, wet, immerse, immerge, merge, dip, water, imbrue, infiltrate, percolate, permeate, drown, saturate, impregnate, pour into, pour on, wash over, flood; see also cover 8, moisten.

2. To remain in liquid

   steep, imbue, macerate, soften, be saturated, be infiltrated, be permeated, be pervaded, infuse, sink into, waterlog.

3. To absorb

   dry, sop, mop; see absorb 1.

soak implies immersion in a liquid, etc. as for the purpose of absorption, thorough wetting, softening, etc. to soak bread in milk; saturate implies absorption to a point where no more can be taken up air saturated with moisture; drench implies a thorough wetting as by a downpour a garden drenched by the rain; steep usually suggests soaking for the purpose of extracting the essence of something to steep tea; impregnate implies the penetration and permeation of one thing by another wood impregnated with creosote