groundwater

American  

[ground-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

Etymology

Origin of groundwater

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

groundwater groundwaters

Converting fields to solar arrays has become an attractive option for farmers who are grappling with restrictions limiting the groundwater they can pump from wells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The scientists estimated in the study that at least 20% of the groundwater loss can be attributed to global warming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

A drought will only officially end when rain, soil moisture, river levels and groundwater levels all return to normal conditions for the time of year.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The rocky terrain of the Bundelkhand plateau means it can store little groundwater.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Except for what enters streams directly as rain or surface runoff, all the running water of the earth’s surface was at one time groundwater.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

"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