waterworks
Americannoun
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waterworks
plural
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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
Noun Inflected 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 regional waterworks set up four water carts around the village.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The same mystery donor had previously given 500,000 yen in cash for municipal waterworks, he added.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
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
That was when the city hired Benjamin Latrobe to design and construct Philadelphia’s first waterworks.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
