bathwater

American

[bath-waw-ter, -wot-er, bahth-] / ˈbæθˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər, ˈbɑθ- /

noun

water for bathing.

He ran the bathwater while he shaved.

idioms

throw out the baby with the bathwater, to eliminate or reject the good along with the bad.

Etymology

Origin of bathwater

First recorded in 1910–15; bath ¹ + water

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.

Plenty of babies are being thrown out with the bathwater, it would seem.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026

Software stocks are getting crushed again, and babies are getting thrown out with the bathwater.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

But now, they seem to be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

From Slate • Jul. 2, 2025

It would be a tragedy to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater given that we are faced with an opportunity to actually make work better — for everyone.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025

The evening light is soft and pink, the air as mild as bathwater.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023