water gate


noun
  1. a gate for halting or controlling the flow of water in a watercourse; floodgate.

  2. a gateway leading to the edge of a body of water, as at a landing.

Origin of water gate

1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Other definitions for Watergate (2 of 2)

Watergate
[ waw-ter-geyt, wot-er- ]

noun
  1. a White House political scandal that came to light during the 1972 presidential campaign, growing out of a break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate apartment-office complex in Washington, D.C., and, after congressional hearings, culminating in the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

  2. any scandal involving abuses of power, corruption, or the like, and attempts to cover them up.

Other words from Watergate

  • post-Wa·ter·gate, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use water gate in a sentence

  • The mayor closing the watergate caused much vexation to the lawyers rowing by boat to Westminster, and the king had to interfere.

    Old and New London | Walter Thornbury
  • The watergate was open, and a wild rush of men, women, and children took place down to the boats.

    With Clive in India | G. A. Henty
  • On an outlying work commanding the watergate eight thirty-two pounders were mounted.

    With Clive in India | G. A. Henty
  • Sandwich ends at the Barbican, the foreign-looking watergate that spans the road on the hither side of the Stour.

    The Ingoldsby Country | Charles G. (Charles George) Harper
  • This was found in Watergate street about a century ago, together with a tessellated pavement.

British Dictionary definitions for water gate (1 of 2)

water gate

noun
  1. a gate in a canal, leat, etc that can be opened or closed to control the flow of water

  2. a gate through which access may be gained to a body of water

British Dictionary definitions for Watergate (2 of 2)

Watergate

/ (ˈwɔːtəˌɡeɪt) /


noun
  1. an incident during the 1972 US presidential campaign, when a group of agents employed by the re-election organization of President Richard Nixon were caught breaking into the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate building, Washington, DC. The consequent political scandal was exacerbated by attempts to conceal the fact that senior White House officials had approved the burglary, and eventually forced the resignation of President Nixon

  2. any similar public scandal, esp involving politicians or a possible cover-up: See also -gate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Watergate

Watergate

An incident in the presidency of Richard Nixon that led to his resignation. In June 1972, burglars in the pay of Nixon's campaign committee broke into offices of the Democratic party. In a complex chain of events, high officials on Nixon's staff who had been connected to the burglary used illegal means to keep the burglary from being fully investigated; these actions by Nixon's staff were known as the “cover-up.” Nixon arranged for secret tape-recording of many conversations in his office regarding the cover-up and then refused to hand the tapes over to investigators from Congress. After months of legal maneuvers, Nixon finally released the tapes, which showed that he had known about criminal activity by his staff. By this time, the House of Representatives was one step away from impeachment of Nixon. Leaders of Congress told him that if he were impeached and tried, he would very likely be removed from office. He resigned the presidency in August 1974, complaining of a lack of support from Congress. Several of his assistants were convicted of various crimes connected with Watergate. Nixon himself was never indicted and was pardoned by his successor, President Gerald Ford.

Notes for Watergate

Many people became more scornful of government after the Watergate incident. Others were encouraged that the investigation and convictions were finally carried out.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.