sprinkler
Americannoun
-
sprinklers
plural
-
any of various devices for sprinkling, as a watering pot, a container of water with a perforated top used to sprinkle clothes before ironing, or especially a perforated ring or small stand with a revolving nozzle to which a hose is attached for watering a lawn with a fine, even spray.
-
a person who sprinkles.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a device perforated with small holes that is attached to a garden hose or watering can and used to spray plants, lawns, etc, with water
-
a person or thing that sprinkles
-
See sprinkler system
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sprinkler
Explanation
A sprinkler is a garden device that sprays water onto your grass or plants. You can attach a small lawn sprinkler to a hose in your yard when your flowers are looking droopy. Sprinklers are mainly used to irrigate, or provide water, to plants. There are complex systems of sprinklers that can be installed in the ground for a large area, like a public park or an estate's acres of lawns. The more common type of sprinkler hooks up to a hose and can be moved wherever it's needed — including in the middle of a yard for kids to run through in their bathing suits.
Vocabulary lists containing sprinkler
"Water at Work"
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!
1.7.B Using Ice to Keep Orange Groves Warm
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:
It started appearing in my parents’ pantry in Costco two-packs, usually beside gigantic cases of bottled water, enough paper towels to absorb a malfunctioning sprinkler system and gallon-sized jugs of olive oil.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
As Mourinho left the press conference, an Italian journalist stood up and gifted him a small garden sprinkler, wrapped in a bow.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
In retrospect, he says he wishes he had a generator that he could have used to power a sprinkler system around the property after the electricity went out.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
A reverse sprinkler works more like an "inside-out rocket," because water jets travel inward and enter the central chamber where the arms connect.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
We run through The sprinkler, Water on our Lips, water Dripping From eyelashes, Water like Fat raindrops That fall from Skinny trees when You’re not looking.
From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto
During the fire’s rapid spread, the water system quickly lost pressure as crews drew heavily on hydrants, residents ran sprinklers and hoses, and water gushed out of melted pipes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
He put sprinklers on his roof to extinguish falling embers.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Hoses and sprinklers cannot be used in parks, public gardens and other green spaces however there are exemptions for health and safety and National Plant Collections.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
It was blamed in part on the building’s highly flammable cladding and lack of alarms, sprinklers and a fire escape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Do you really think sprinklers and panicked nurses are good for Mia?”
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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.
