faucet
Americannoun
noun
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a tap fitted to a barrel
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Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): tap. a valve by which a fluid flow from a pipe can be controlled by opening and closing an orifice
Regionalisms
Spigot is a common variant for faucet and is widely used in the Midland U.S. Elsewhere, faucet is more commonly used, especially in the Northern U.S.
Etymology
Origin of faucet
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French fausset peg for a vent, perhaps equivalent to fauss ( er ) to force in, damage, warp, literally, to falsify (< Late Latin falsāre; false ) + -et -et
Explanation
Water comes out of your faucet and into your sink or bathtub. A faucet is a device that allows you to turn the flow of water on and off. The faucet is not just the metal part that the water comes through, it is the whole mechanism for controlling the flow of water. If you cry easily, someone might say you are a regular faucet. This is because water comes out of your eyes more often than it does for most people. If you ask your parents a little too often for cash, they might joke that they're going to turn off the money faucet.
Vocabulary lists containing faucet
Unit 15, Lessons 1–2
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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.
“Even if the strait were to effectively open tomorrow, you can’t turn the faucet back on,” said Angie Gildea, global head of oil and gas at KPMG.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 28, 2026
And you just cannot fight fire with a dripping faucet.
From Slate • Dec. 26, 2025
Now, despite the open money faucet, spending on sports at some Big Ten schools has outpaced revenues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
In the summer, Iranian rapper Vafa Ahmadpoor posted a video on social media showing a kitchen faucet with no running water.
From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025
A kitchen faucet would have to be turned on full force for forty-five years in order to equal the amount of blood pumped by a heart in a lifetime.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
