- present participle of plumb.
noun
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Also called: plumbery. the trade or work of a plumber
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the pipes, fixtures, etc, used in a water, drainage, or gas installation
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the act or procedure of using a plumb to gauge depth, a vertical, etc
Etymology
Origin of plumbing
Explanation
Indoor plumbing is what makes civilization great. Plumbing refers to the pipes that get the water in and the sewage out. If a snake shows up in the toilet, it probably came in through the plumbing. Yikes! You can use the noun plumbing whether you're talking about the bathroom sink, the pipes connected to your dishwasher, or the bathtub drain. A home's heating system often consists of plumbing too. The work of fixing or installing this type of system is also plumbing. The word's earliest meaning was "the weighting of a fishing line," from plumb, originally "to sink like lead," which has the Latin root plumba, or "lead."
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.
Owing to incorrect plumbing, affected households pump waste into surface drains, which can then spread, killing wildlife and damaging waterways.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The method begins with PVC similar to the material found in household plumbing, window structures, and even credit cards.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Her arc mirrored that of my Mexican immigrant parents, who were also mountain people who grew up in big farming families with no plumbing or electricity, snuggling with siblings during winter nights in unheated bedrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
This one responded to a price, not to plumbing, which is exactly how the market read it, and why the effect evaporated within a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Calvin holds up a piece of plastic pipe like they use for plumbing.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
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.
