puddle
Americannoun
-
a small pool of water, as of rainwater on the ground.
-
a small pool of any liquid.
-
clay or the like mixed with water and tempered, used as a waterproof lining for the walls of canals, ditches, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
to mark or scatter with puddles.
-
to wet with dirty water, mud, etc.
-
to make (water) muddy or dirty.
-
to muddle or confuse.
-
to make (clay or the like) into puddle.
-
to cover with pasty clay or puddle.
-
Metallurgy. to subject (molten iron) to the process of puddling.
-
to destroy the granular structure of (soil) by agricultural operations on it when it is too wet.
-
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)
-
to wade in a puddle.
The children were puddling.
-
to be or become puddled.
The backyard was puddling.
noun
-
a small pool of water, esp of rain
-
a small pool of any liquid
-
a worked mixture of wet clay and sand that is impervious to water and is used to line a pond or canal
-
rowing the patch of eddying water left by the blade of an oar after completion of a stroke
verb
-
(tr) to make (clay, etc) into puddle
-
(tr) to subject (iron) to puddling
-
(intr) to dabble or wade in puddles, mud, or shallow water
-
(intr) to mess about
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing puddle
Raining Cats and Dogs
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Ain't I a Woman?"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
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
Now, when we approach kids crowding the sidewalk, a curbside puddle or a dog crouching to pee, I stop and extend my arm like Sir Walter Raleigh, offering Sarah the right of first passage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Those roles sometimes conflict — as they did at Lake Mendocino, which dried to a mud puddle during the 2012–16 drought.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
“An office for what? All he does is come home and watch TV until he falls asleep in a puddle of his own drool.”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“These liddol ones are currently spending quality family time behind the scenes while mom keeps busy with round-the-clock cuddle puddles, grooming and care.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
I realized I want to raise kids who are going to jump in mud puddles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Before you drain, save the pasta water — that cloudy starch is what turns chopped olives and warm oil into a sauce that clings instead of puddles.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
The 52-year-old had his head in his hands when the final whistle went -- his body language as negative as the horrendous weather which had left puddles all over the pitch.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
For just that one moment, it looked like Mom might start crying the way really little kids did, with a trembling lip and huge puddles of tears in each eye.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
When the slow-moving storm system finally moves out of Southern California on Wednesday, sanitation crews will rush in to mop up any remaining sewage puddled on the streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
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
In this case, it was puddled onto a platter with some lime-spiked sour cream, then topped with grilled mushrooms and onions.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 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
My socks are puddled down around my loafers, and my headband has slipped back on my head.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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
It finds the gaps between ground-level windows, puddling around exhibits.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2021
I have no actual evidence of puddling editors, but no matter.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2021
“Yes you do, now go on, shoo, scat. 1 don’t want you puddling on the floor.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
