water gate
a gate for halting or controlling the flow of water in a watercourse; floodgate.
a gateway leading to the edge of a body of water, as at a landing.
Origin of water gate
1Other definitions for Watergate (2 of 2)
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.
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
But from there we had Watergate, stagflation, oil embargos, eroding American power in the world, growing income inequality, etc.
Some of them try to twist Watergate and write a story of bogus revisionism.
In the book, you stay pretty much within the confines of Watergate, right?
I first discovered nobody had ever cataloged all of the Watergate conversations.
There are those who write about it without Watergate, and there are those who write about it with Watergate.
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 ThornburyThe watergate was open, and a wild rush of men, women, and children took place down to the boats.
With Clive in India | G. A. HentyOn an outlying work commanding the watergate eight thirty-two pounders were mounted.
With Clive in India | G. A. HentySandwich 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) HarperThis was found in Watergate street about a century ago, together with a tessellated pavement.
England, Picturesque and Descriptive | Joel Cook
British Dictionary definitions for water gate (1 of 2)
a gate in a canal, leat, etc that can be opened or closed to control the flow of water
a gate through which access may be gained to a body of water
British Dictionary definitions for Watergate (2 of 2)
/ (ˈwɔːtəˌɡeɪt) /
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
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
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
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.
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