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downspout

American  
[daun-spaut] / ˈdaʊnˌspaʊt /

noun

  1. a pipe for conveying rainwater from a roof or gutter to the ground or to a drain.


downspout British  
/ ˈdaʊnˌspaʊt /

noun

  1. Also called: drainpipe, downpipe. a pipe for carrying rainwater from a roof gutter to the ground or to a drain

"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

Etymology

Origin of downspout

First recorded in 1895–1900; down 1 + spout


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:

For small properties, much of the problematic water comes from the roof and tends to be concentrated at a few downspout points, according to Margulies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Nearby, an old downspout has been refashioned into a sign with handwritten instructions to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2024

The building is heated with a Danish wood-burning stove and has hot and cold water supplied by an office water cooler mounted over a sink that drains into a downspout.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2022

In most cases, using downspout extensions or troughs is necessary to achieve this distance.

From Washington Post ● May 19, 2021

Luckily, that problem turned out to be nothing more than a tennis ball lodged in a downspout.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

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