aquifer

American  

[ak-wuh-fer] / ˈæk wə fər /

noun

• aquifers
  plural

1. any geological formation containing or conducting groundwater, especially one that supplies the water for wells, springs, etc.

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aquifer British  

/ ˈækwɪfə /

noun

1. a porous deposit of rock, such as a sandstone, containing water that can be used to supply wells

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aquifer Scientific  

/ ăk′wə-fər /

1. An underground layer of permeable rock, sediment (usually sand or gravel), or soil that yields water. The pore spaces in aquifers are filled with water and are interconnected, so that water flows through them. Sandstones, unconsolidated gravels, and porous limestones make the best aquifers. They can range from a few square kilometers to thousands of square kilometers in size.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• aquifers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aquifer

First recorded in 1900–05; probably from French aquifère (adjective); see aqui-, -fer

Explanation

An aquifer is an underground water supply — one found in porous rock, sand, gravel, or the like. Your town might get its water from a lake, river, reservoir, aquifer, or some other source. Aquifer is from the Latin aqua ("water") and ferre ("to bear") — an aquifer literally bears water. Some aquifers are massive, such as the Ogallala Aquifer in the United States that stretches across parts of eight states from South Dakota to Texas. But not massive enough — we're draining them faster than the water can be replenished.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aquifer aquifers

Law enforcement is stretched, the multitude of wells is draining the aquifer and some residents’ low wages result in reliance on social services, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Residents feared the project would strain the electrical grid and drain their local aquifer.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

The stream is one of a number that flow from an aquifer underneath the air base, however, the source of the contamination is not known.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Las Vegas injects Colorado River water directly into the aquifer using special wells, and has done so since the late 1980s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026

“Where does all the water come from? The Court is on a hill, so where’s the aquifer or aqueduct to bring the water up?”

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

The deer eat fire-resilient chaparral and other native plants, making way for invasive annual grasses, which ignite more easily, increase erosion and leave less water to soak into aquifers, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Muller said Deep Fission’s reactor is too deep to affect aquifers, and that it will follow all nuclear and oil-and-gas regulations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

This year, drought has not developed as quickly because heavy rainfall recharged our aquifers, rivers and reservoirs during a very wet autumn and winter.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Furthermore, the centers’ cooling systems need a lot of water, draining local aquifers and water tables, with the more efficient systems still requiring significant amounts.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Fissures opened in the loose superficial deposits, and in places spouted water mingled with sand from shallow underlying aquifers.

From The Elements of Geology by William Harmon Norton

Related Words

• water level