waterworks
Americannoun
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(used with a singular or plural verb) a complete system of reservoirs, pipelines, conduits, etc., by which water is collected, purified, stored, and pumped to urban users.
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(used with a singular verb) a pumping station or a purifying station of such a system.
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(usually used with a plural verb) Sometimes waterwork a spectacular display of water, mechanically produced, as for a pageant.
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(used with a singular or plural verb) tears, or the source of tears.
to turn on the waterworks.
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Slang. the kidneys.
noun
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(functioning as singular) an establishment for storing, purifying, and distributing water for community supply
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(functioning as plural) a display of water in movement, as in fountains
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informal (functioning as plural) the urinary system, esp with reference to its normal functioning
he has trouble with his waterworks
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informal (functioning as plural) crying; tears
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of waterworks
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; water + works ( def. ) (in the sense “manufacturing establishment”)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The donation worth $3.6 million was made in November by a person who a month earlier had already given $3,300 in cash for the municipal waterworks, Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama told a press conference.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
An 18th Century waterworks in Clerkenwell is being transformed into the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, which was previously based in King's Cross under a different name.
From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025
The efficacy of Deen’s waterworks will depend on how much the viewer is willing to buy.
From Salon • Sep. 7, 2025
When I ask them what they learned from each other near the end of our hour-long conversation, the waterworks hit.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024
“Do we really need the waterworks right now?”
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
