meltwater

American  

[melt-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈmɛltˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

1. water from melted snow or ice.

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meltwater British  

/ ˈmɛltˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. melted snow or ice

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Etymology

Origin of meltwater

First recorded in 1930–35; melt ¹ + water

Example Sentences

Before electric refrigeration, households relied on iceboxes, which required frequent deliveries of heavy blocks of ice, constant draining of meltwater and careful food planning to avoid spoilage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

At the Dotson Ice Shelf, the team located where seawater flows into one of these cavities and where it exits after mixing with meltwater.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

It has enormous untapped hydropower potential, stemming partly from glacial meltwater, which far exceeds domestic demands and could be channeled toward an energy-intensive data center.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

In New York, excavators scooped piles of snow into steaming orange trailers known as "hot tubs," which send the meltwater down into the city's sewer system.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Streams of meltwater rushed through furrows in the surface.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown