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.
-
the water of lakes, rivers, streams, etc., as opposed to groundwater.
Other Word Forms
- surface-water adjective
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.
As the atmosphere thinned, the planet cooled and much of its surface water disappeared.
From Science Daily
It is estimated that as many as 500,000 properties across the UK may have sewer misconnections, with appliances or bathrooms incorrectly plumbed into surface water drains instead of foul sewers, often as a result of extensions or DIY.
From BBC
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
New research suggests that cold conditions alone may not have prevented long-lasting surface water on the Red Planet.
From Science Daily
This challenges earlier assumptions that surface water on Mars would only be possible during extended warm periods.
From Science Daily
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.
