Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

tap water

American  

noun

  1. water, obtained directly from a faucet or tap, that has not been purified, distilled, or otherwise treated.


tap water British  

noun

  1. water drawn off through taps from pipes in a house, as distinguished from distilled water, mineral water, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tap water

First recorded in 1880–85


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:

At the same time, she found the tap water detainees used was often lukewarm, and the facility was using a spigot to refill water coolers for the East building.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

"At least tap water and electricity are working," Kosin said, as he used a broom to sweep out water.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

“We’ve worked cases where the vial is just tap water and mold and nothing more.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Customers were unable to access tap water, shower or flush their toilets during the supply issues between November and January.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

My solution to the lack of air conditioning at my own house was to run our T-shirts under the cold, cold tap water in the bathroom sink.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com