groundwater

American  

[graund-waw-ter, -woter] / ˈgraʊndˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒtər /

Also ground water

noun

• groundwaters
  plural

1. the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that has seeped down: the source of water in springs and wells.

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groundwater Scientific  

/ ground′wô′tər /

1. Water that collects or flows beneath the Earth's surface, filling the porous spaces in soil, sediment, and rocks. Groundwater originates from rain and from melting snow and ice and is the source of water for aquifers, springs, and wells. The upper surface of groundwater is the water table.

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groundwater Cultural  

1. Water that seeps through the soil or rocks underground.

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Discover More

Groundwater can be contaminated by chemical pollutants. (See water pollution.)

Groundwater is a source of drinking and spring water for many communities.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• groundwaters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of groundwater

First recorded in 1885–90; ground ¹ ( def. ) + water ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

groundwater groundwaters

In May, the Supreme Court approved a settlement requiring New Mexico to trim groundwater use over the next decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Damac has told the city that it won’t discharge into the wastewater or groundwater, the city spokeswoman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

They moved to Nebraska - which enjoys lush land and the most groundwater in the nation - to strike out on their own.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

In November 2020, Indian government investigators found hidden bore holes where the operator of the United Marine Products fishmeal plant in Goa had been covertly disposing of toxic waste, thereby contaminating groundwater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

“There’s groundwater very, very far below us,” Pond said.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

"Natural hydrogen is produced over time through underground chemical reactions between rocks and the groundwaters in those rocks," says Sherwood Lollar.

From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026

"Rising groundwaters can lead to flooding of coastal cities, waterlogging of farmlands and salinization of groundwaters and soils."

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2024

How could aerobes thrive in groundwaters that should have no oxygen, since photosynthesis is impossible?

From Scientific American ● Aug. 22, 2023

The underground parking has been abandoned to the rising groundwaters.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2022

It is, of course, not only the groundwaters that are becoming contaminated, but surface-moving waters as well — streams, rivers, irrigation waters.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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