water

[ waw-ter, wot-er ]

/ ˈwɔ tər, ˈwɒt ər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: water / watered / watering / waters on Thesaurus.com

noun

a transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H2O, freezing at 32°F or 0°C and boiling at 212°F or 100°C, that in a more or less impure state constitutes rain, oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.: it contains 11.188 percent hydrogen and 88.812 percent oxygen, by weight.

a special form or variety of this liquid, as rain.

Often waters. this liquid in an impure state as obtained from a mineral spring: Last year we went to Marienbad for the waters.

the liquid content of a river, inlet, etc., with reference to its relative height, especially as dependent on tide: a difference of 20 feet between high and low water.

the surface of a stream, river, lake, ocean, etc.: above, below, or on the water.

waters,

flowing water, or water moving in waves: The river's mighty waters.
the sea or seas bordering a particular country or continent or located in a particular part of the world: We left San Diego and sailed south for Mexican waters.

a liquid solution or preparation, especially one used for cosmetic purposes: lavender water; lemon water.

Often waters. Medicine/Medical.

amniotic fluid.
the bag of waters; amnion: Her water broke at 2 a.m.

any of various solutions of volatile or gaseous substances in water: ammonia water.

any liquid or aqueous organic secretion, exudation, humor, or the like, as tears, perspiration, or urine.

Finance. fictitious assets or the inflated values they give to the stock of a corporation.

a wavy, lustrous pattern or marking, as on silk fabrics or metal surfaces.

(formerly) the degree of transparency and brilliancy of a diamond or other precious stone.

take water, (of a boat) to allow water to enter through leaks or portholes or over the side.

verb (used with object)

to sprinkle, moisten, or drench with water: to water the flowers; to water a street.

to supply (animals) with water for drinking.

to furnish with a supply of water, as a ship.

to furnish water to (a region), as by streams; supply (land) with water, as by irrigation: The valley is watered by a branch of the Colorado River. Our land is watered by the All-American Canal.

to dilute, weaken, soften, or adulterate with, or as with, water (often followed by down): to water soup; to water down an unfavorable report.

Finance. to issue or increase the par value of (shares of stock) without having the assets to warrant doing so (often followed by down).

to produce a wavy, lustrous pattern, marking, or finish on (fabrics, metals, etc.): watered silk.

verb (used without object)

to discharge, fill with, or secrete water or liquid, as the eyes when irritated, or as the mouth at the sight or thought of tempting food.

to drink water, as an animal.

to take in a supply of water, as a ship: Our ship will water at Savannah.

adjective

of or relating to water in any way:a water journey.

holding, or designed to hold, water: a water jug.

worked or powered by water: a water turbine.

heating, pumping, or circulating water (often used in combination): hot-water furnace; city waterworks.

used in or on water: water skis.

containing or prepared with water, as for hardening or dilution: water mortar.

located or occurring on, in, or by water: water music; water frontage.

residing by or in, or ruling over, water: water people; water deities.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about water

above water, out of embarrassment or trouble, especially of a financial nature: They had so many medical bills that they could hardly keep their heads above water.

break water,

to break the surface of the water by emerging from it.
Swimming. to break the surface of the water with the feet, especially in swimming the breaststroke doing the frog kick.
Medicine/Medical. to break the amniotic sac prior to parturition.

by water, by ship or boat: to send goods by water.

dead in the water. dead (def. 41).

hold water,

to be logical, defensible, or valid: That accusation won't hold water.
to check the movement of a rowboat by keeping the oars steady with the blades vertical.

in deep water, in great distress or difficulty: Their marriage has been in deep water for some time.

in hot water. hot water.

like water, lavishly; abundantly; freely: The champagne flowed like water.

make one's mouth water, to excite a desire or appetite for something: The roasting turkey made our mouths water.

make water,

(of a boat) to allow water to enter; leak.
to urinate.

tread water. tread (def. 24).

Origin of water

First recorded before 900; Middle English wæter, watre, water, Old English noun wæter, uæt(t)er; cognate with Dutch water, German Wasser; akin to Old Norse vatn, vatr Gothic wato, Hittite watar, Greek hýdōr; Middle English watere(n), Old English verb wæterian, wetrian “to give water to, irigate, moisten,” derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM water

wa·ter·er, nounwa·ter·less, adjectivewa·ter·less·ly, adverbwa·ter·less·ness, noun

wa·ter·like, adjectiveoutwater, verb (used with object)o·ver·wa·ter, verbre·wa·ter, verb

Words nearby water

watch over, watch pocket, watchstrap, watchtower, watchword, water, waterage, water arum, water ash, water back, water bag

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use water in a sentence

The soil is also very dry, which counterintuitively makes it harder for water to infiltrate.
California wildfires may give way to massive mudslides|Ula Chrobak|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
What’s more, the wetlands would prevent some of that water from moving inland, so flood levels around those homes would rise higher.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 17, 2020|Science News For Students
The EPA’s loan will cover almost half the project costs, said Lindsay Leahy, Oceanside’s principal water engineer.
North County Report: Schools Are Reopening for Students Most in Need|Kayla Jimenez|September 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego
As water freezes at 0 °C, I need a way to chill water to cooler than that.
Build ice towers with bottled water and ice|Bethany Brookshire|September 16, 2020|Science News For Students

The Memphis Sands Aquifer, a crucial water supply for Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana, is already overdrawn by hundreds of millions of gallons a day.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration|by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Placed in drinking water, fluoride can serve people who otherwise have poor access to dental care.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In secret, before the referendum, the council went ahead and fluoridated the water anyway.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Urbanity ushers in water that needs no apology, and gives a zest to the worst vintage.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
The two women had no intention of bathing; they had just strolled down to the beach for a walk and to be alone and near the water.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Mrs. Woodbury paints in oils and water-colors; the latter are genre scenes, and among them are several Dutch subjects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
But there was a breeze blowing, a choppy, stiff wind that whipped the water into froth.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for water

water

/ (ˈwɔːtə) /

noun

a clear colourless tasteless odourless liquid that is essential for plant and animal life and constitutes, in impure form, rain, oceans, rivers, lakes, etc. It is a neutral substance, an effective solvent for many compounds, and is used as a standard for many physical properties. Formula: H 2 ORelated adjective: aqueous Related combining forms: hydro-, aqua-

any body or area of this liquid, such as a sea, lake, river, etc
(as modifier)water sports; water transport; a water plant Related adjective: aquatic

the surface of such a body or areafish swam below the water

any form or variety of this liquid, such as rain

See high water, low water

any of various solutions of chemical substances in waterlithia water; ammonia water

physiol

any fluid secreted from the body, such as sweat, urine, or tears
(usually plural) the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus in the womb

a wavy lustrous finish on some fabrics, esp silk

archaic the degree of brilliance in a diamondSee also first water

excellence, quality, or degree (in the phrase of the first water)

finance

capital stock issued without a corresponding increase in paid-up capital, so that the book value of the company's capital is not fully represented by assets or earning power
the fictitious or unrealistic asset entries that reflect such inflated book value of capital

(modifier) astrology of or relating to the three signs of the zodiac Cancer, Scorpio, and PiscesCompare air (def. 20), earth (def. 10), fire (def. 24)

above the water informal out of trouble or difficulty, esp financial trouble

hold water to prove credible, logical, or consistentthe alibi did not hold water

in deep water in trouble or difficulty

make water

to urinate
(of a boat, hull, etc) to let in water

pass water to urinate

test the water See test 1 (def. 5)

throw cold water on or pour cold water on informal to be unenthusiastic about or discourage

water under the bridge events that are past and done with

verb

(tr) to sprinkle, moisten, or soak with water

(tr often foll by down) to weaken by the addition of water

(intr) (of the eyes) to fill with tears

(intr) (of the mouth) to salivate, esp in anticipation of food (esp in the phrase make one's mouth water)

(tr) to irrigate or provide with waterto water the land; he watered the cattle

(intr) to drink water

(intr) (of a ship, etc) to take in a supply of water

(tr) finance to raise the par value of (issued capital stock) without a corresponding increase in the real value of assets

(tr) to produce a wavy lustrous finish on (fabrics, esp silk)

Derived forms of water

waterer, nounwaterish, adjectivewaterless, adjectivewater-like, adjective

Word Origin for water

Old English wæter, of Germanic origin; compare Old Saxon watar, Old High German wazzar, Gothic watō, Old Slavonic voda; related to Greek hudor

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

Scientific definitions for water

water

[ wô′tər ]

A colorless, odorless compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Water covers about three-quarters of the Earth's surface in solid form (ice) and liquid form, and is prevalent in the lower atmosphere in its gaseous form, water vapor. Water is an unusually good solvent for a large variety of substances, and is an essential component of all organisms, being necessary for most biological processes. Unlike most substances, water is less dense as ice than in liquid form; thus, ice floats on liquid water. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F) and boils at 100°C (212°F). Chemical formula: H2O.

Other Idioms and Phrases with water

water

In addition to the idioms beginning with water

water down
water over the dam

also see:

above water
backwater
blood is thicker than water
blow out (of the water)
come on in (the water's fine)
dead in the water
fish in troubled waters
fish out of water
head above water
hell or high water
high-water mark
hold water
hot water
in deep (water)
keep one's head (above water)
like water off a duck's back
make one's mouth water
muddy the waters
of the first water
pour cold water on
pour oil on troubled waters
still waters run deep
take to (like a duck to water)
throw out the baby with the bath water
tread water
you can lead a horse to water

water

Idioms about water

Origin of water

OTHER WORDS FROM water

Words nearby water

Words related to water

How to use water in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for water

Derived forms of water

Word Origin for water

Scientific definitions for water

Other Idioms and Phrases with water