geyser
Americannoun
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a hot spring that intermittently sends up fountainlike jets of water and steam into the air.
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British Informal. a hot-water heater, as for a bath.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a spring that discharges steam and hot water
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a domestic gas water heater
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of geyser
1755–65; < Icelandic Geysir name of a hot spring in Iceland, literally, gusher, derivative of geysa to gush
Explanation
A geyser is a spring that dramatically spews hot water and steam — Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park is one of the most famous. When a geyser explodes, hot water and steam shoot up out of the ground like some kind of crazy fountain. It's so amazing that people often use this word to describe things that remind them of geysers. If you suddenly make a lot of money, you hit a geyser. If someone is crying uncontrollably, that's a geyser of emotion. If you're writing quickly and well, it feels like a geyser of words. Anything powerfully flowing could be considered a geyser.
Vocabulary lists containing geyser
Physical Geography - Introductory
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English Words Derived from Old Norse
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Super Seismic: Words for Volcanoes and Earthquakes
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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.
On Dec. 7, 2023, the Railroad Commission was notified that water was leaking through a well about a mile away from the first geyser.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
On Dec. 7, 2023, the Railroad Commission was notified that water was leaking through a well about a mile away from the first geyser.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
The optimism catalyzed China’s tech industry, unleashed an even bigger geyser of government support and jolted American competition into overdrive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
Meghan is a wealthy American woman living a royal dream, if you ignore the geyser of British tabloid bile constantly burbling in the background of her life.
From Salon • Aug. 27, 2025
A change in the pattern of geyser eruptions might also be taken as a clue, he said, but these too vary unpredictably.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
