puddle

American  

[puhd-l] / ˈpʌd l /

noun

• puddles
  plural

1. a small pool of water, as of rainwater on the ground.

2. a small pool of any liquid.

3. clay or the like mixed with water and tempered, used as a waterproof lining for the walls of canals, ditches, etc.

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verb (used with object)

puddled, puddling

1. to mark or scatter with puddles.

2. to wet with dirty water, mud, etc.

3. to make (water) muddy or dirty.

4. to muddle or confuse.

5. to make (clay or the like) into puddle.

6. to cover with pasty clay or puddle.

7. Metallurgy. to subject (molten iron) to the process of puddling.

8. to destroy the granular structure of (soil) by agricultural operations on it when it is too wet.

9. Horticulture. to dip the roots of (a tree, shrub, etc.) into a thin mixture of loam and water to retard drying out during transplanting.

verb (used without object)

puddled, puddling

1. to wade in a puddle.

   The children were puddling.

2. to be or become puddled.

   The backyard was puddling.

puddle British  

/ ˈpʌdəl /

noun

1. a small pool of water, esp of rain

2. a small pool of any liquid

3. a worked mixture of wet clay and sand that is impervious to water and is used to line a pond or canal

4. rowing the patch of eddying water left by the blade of an oar after completion of a stroke

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verb

1. (tr) to make (clay, etc) into puddle

2. (tr) to subject (iron) to puddling

3. (intr) to dabble or wade in puddles, mud, or shallow water

4. (intr) to mess about

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• puddler
  noun
• puddly
  adjective
• unpuddled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• puddles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of puddle

1300–50; (noun) Middle English puddel, podel, pothel, apparently diminutive of Old English pudd ditch, furrow (akin to Low German pudel puddle); (v.) late Middle English pothelen, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A puddle is a small pool, such as one that forms on a sidewalk after a rain shower. A little boy with new rain boots might decide to jump in every puddle he sees on his way to school. It's charming to see a puddle on a brick walkway or to watch a duck wash itself in a puddle. It's less charming to find a puddle in your basement after three days of rain. You can use puddle as a verb, too, to say, "I'm watching your cereal milk puddle in the middle of the table and wondering when you're planning to clean it up." Puddle comes from the Old English pudd, "ditch or furrow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

puddle puddles puddled puddling

"There's a hosepipe ban and we are wasting water and it's causing a huge puddle in the street that cars splash through," she added.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Any time Lenore says the word ‘sugah,’ it just makes me melt into a puddle on the floor,” Winderbaum says, laughing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The result is crusty, chewy and deeply satisfying — exactly the kind of bread that begs for a puddle of olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

As we watched the group wander about, a female capybara waded into a mud puddle along the truck path and rolled around happily.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

I didn’t dare look down—I was sure there was a puddle developing around my shoes.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

There’s sculling lingo to learn — eight seat, catching a crab, puddles, the engine room, rushing the slide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

As access reopened mid-morning, AFP saw the blackened remains of several burnt-out cars along roads near Omis, some ringed by silver puddles of metal that had melted under the intense heat of the fires.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

"I was in a wedding dress and I was running barefoot through the puddles," says Iryna.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

This is most clearly shown in Gene Kelly’s dance in the rain where he stomps in puddles and spins his umbrella.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

They looked like puddles of gold in among the cattail leaves.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

A river of wine flowed across the tile floor and puddled in the condiment aisle, merging with a multicultural mush of olive oil, soy sauce and horseradish.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

Video posted by a WTVF-TV reporter shows the water puddled up on the main floor’s concourse area and the team store.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2022

A piece that puddled on the floor had sunflowers poking up out of tall grass, the flowers rigged with mechanical motors to twitch.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2022

As rain poured and puddled on the sideline at Ross-Ade Stadium, the Purdue mascot dared the cheerleader to jump into the water.

From Fox News ● Oct. 2, 2021

Dandelion, crouching beside Hazel, got up at the mention of “clever rabbits,” made his way across the puddled floor and returned with Blackberry and Fiver.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Others, fabricated from translucent amber resin that has hardened to a glossy sheen, are low and horizontal, oozing and puddling across the floor like pools of blood or toxic spills.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2024

"There have been numerous local measurements and theoretical discussions regarding the effects of water puddling on ice albedo," Kaczmarowski said.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 15, 2024

Their purplish, blurred silhouettes seem printed on top of the ridges of milky paint depicting pale, layered figures and puddling abstractions.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2023

I have no actual evidence of puddling editors, but no matter.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2021

It continued to come down hard, puddling around the garden.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

• pond