hard water
Americannoun
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Hard water is usually associated with well water in regions where the rocks contain a large proportion of iron-bearing minerals.
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.
Other plastics, including ones promoted as highly recyclable, such as clear polyethylene bottles, which hold some medications, or hard water bottles, are being recycled at just 16%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
“It is abrasive enough to get through hard water and works great to polish surfaces. It has to have 0000 at the end,” she cautions.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
But not everyone uses them, and they don’t address the impact of hard water on your home and appliances.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 23, 2022
However, for the sake of both your laundry and washing machine, it's worth buying a hard water test to find out if you have too-high levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2022
Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall toward the earth’s center.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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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.