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 its report it said there were a "significant number" of complaints from locals about the smell and further investigations indicated the oil had contaminated groundwater supplies.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

But documents obtained by investigative journalists from SourceMaterial describe other breaches from the refinery in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, with toxic chemicals and oil regularly spilled into the waterways and even groundwater.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

When storms bring heavy runoff, growers have been spreading water on fields to recharge groundwater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Deed restrictions confine the land to commercial and industrial use, and the groundwater remains under investigation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The cold pipes chilled the surrounding soil, creating a barrier that would stop groundwater seeping in from the west.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

"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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