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bathwater

American  
[bath-waw-ter, -wot-er, bahth-] / ˈbæθˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər, ˈbɑθ- /

noun

  1. water for bathing.

    He ran the bathwater while he shaved.


idioms

  1. throw out the baby with the bathwater, to eliminate or reject the good along with the bad.

Etymology

Origin of bathwater

First recorded in 1910–15; bath 1 + water

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.

See Examples For:

We were thrown out like baby with the bathwater.

From Los Angeles Times May 18, 2026

Plenty of babies are being thrown out with the bathwater, it would seem.

From MarketWatch Feb. 14, 2026

Software stocks are getting crushed again, and babies are getting thrown out with the bathwater.

From Barron's Feb. 3, 2026

But now, they seem to be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

From Slate Jul. 2, 2025

Mama had also told her that it would probably become her job to heat the bathwater, the same water night after night until it got too musty to use anymore.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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