Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

siphon

2 verb
     
Related topics: Finance
siphon2 also syphon British English [transitive always + adverb/preposition]
1 also siphon something ↔ off/out to remove liquid from a container by using a siphon:
It took him only a few minutes to siphon off the petrol and drive away.
siphon something out of/from something
Crews began siphoning oil from the leaking boat.
2 also siphon something ↔ offBF to dishonestly take money from a business, account etc to use it for a purpose for which it was not intended:
Emergency aid was siphoned off by foreign ministry officials for their own use.
siphon something from something
I found she had siphoned thousands of dollars from our bank account.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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