bowser

American

[bou-zer] / ˈbaʊ zər /

noun

Australian and New Zealand.

a gasoline pump at a filling station.

bowser British

/ ˈbaʊzə /

noun

a tanker containing fuel for aircraft, military vehicles, etc
obsolete a petrol pump

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bowser

1930–35; said to be after S.F. Bowser and Co., a Sydney manufacturer of gasoline and oil storage systems

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.

The operation involved fire crews from Crymych, Cardigan, Newcastle Emlyn, Whitland and Fishguard, a specialist turntable ladder from Haverfordwest, a water bowser from Milford Haven and the Urban Search and Rescue Team.

From BBC • May 28, 2023

Cardigan Town Council also supplied a water bowser for affected residents to collect water to use to flush their toilets.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2022

After Red Bull failed to fuel his car correctly during qualifying due to a fault with the bowser, Webber started from the pit lane rather than the back of the grid.

From The Guardian • Apr. 14, 2013

The fuel bowser has been immediately quarantined for further investigation.

From Reuters • Apr. 13, 2013

I drank from a previously unopened water bowser and wolfed several nutratabs.

From Attrition by Krenkel, Roy G.

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