surface water
Americannoun
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water that accumulates on the surface of the ground, such as during flooding or when the ground becomes saturated.
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the water of lakes, rivers, streams, etc., as opposed to groundwater.
Other Word Forms
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.
Because metal sulfide minerals dug up during mining can take hundreds to thousands of years to fully react with surface water, they will keep generating emissions long after a mine's reserves are depleted.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
And a 2016 US government study found perchlorate, an oxidizing agent used in fireworks, had made its way into groundwater and surface water around Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which holds annual July 4 shows.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
These systems, scattered across Altadena, “pose significant risks of groundwater contamination, surface water pollution and potential public health hazards,” according to a statement from the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
There has also been pluvial - or surface water - flooding, which is a direct result of intense or prolonged rainfall that overwhelms drainage systems.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Since he and Otto could unstick small things from the time freeze, Sheed supposed he could put the mirror under the fountain’s surface; water was just a bunch of tiny drops put together.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
