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hydrant

American  
[hahy-druhnt] / ˈhaɪ drənt /

noun

  1. an upright pipe with a spout, nozzle, or other outlet, usually in the street, for drawing water from a main or service pipe, especially for fighting fires.

  2. a water faucet.

hydrant British  
/ ˈhaɪdrənt /

noun

  1. an outlet from a water main, usually consisting of an upright pipe with a valve attached, from which water can be tapped for fighting fires See also fire hydrant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hydrant

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; hydr- 1 + -ant

Vocabulary lists containing hydrant

Elements of the Universe: Hydr, Hydro ("Water")

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: hydr

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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.

Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant outside his home in Isleworth, Fla., at 2:30 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

In May, a well on the Pecos County property of Laura Briggs started spraying saltwater like a fire hydrant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

The Newtown Dream Dog Park is one of the best in the country, outfitted with sprinklers, a spraying hydrant, hoops, tunnels and more.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 29, 2025

At least one of the tankers filled at a hydrant reserved for fire engines, according to an activist who spoke to the driver and photographed paperwork showing his destination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 2, 2025

Imagine a city where every neighborhood had a different interface for connecting the fire hose to the hydrant.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

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.