Watergate

American  

[waw-ter-geyt, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tərˌgeɪt, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun

1. 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.

2. any scandal involving abuses of power, corruption, or the like, and attempts to cover them up.

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Watergate British  

/ ˈwɔːtəˌɡeɪt /

noun

1. 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

2. any similar public scandal, esp involving politicians or a possible cover-up See also -gate

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Watergate Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

Many people became more scornful of government after the Watergate incident. Others were encouraged that the investigation and convictions were finally carried out.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• post-Watergate
  adjective

Example Sentences

Dahlia Lithwick: If you put “American politics as usual” in some imaginary halcyon past at 1 and Watergate at 10, where’s this slush fund scandal registering for you?

From Slate • May 26, 2026

As for Project Independence, it didn’t last much longer than Nixon, who resigned over the Watergate scandal nine months later.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Thirty years later, Steven Spielberg would bring Pakula’s idea to fruition with “The Post,” about Graham’s decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, a dress rehearsal for the even higher stakes of Watergate a year later.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Passed in the wake of Watergate, when President Richard Nixon tried to keep incriminating materials from being made public, the law changed who legally owned the papers: It was now the American public.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

In a Washington courtroom a week later, G. Gordon Liddy stood with his arms folded, his face impassive, as the clerk read the jury’s verdict: guilty on eight counts related to the Watergate break-in.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• annul
• clamp down on
• crack down on
• invalidate
• overrule
• repeal
• rescind
• reverse
• revoke
• set aside
• squelch
• undo
• vacate
• veto
• void