water supply

American  

noun

1. the supply of purified water available to a community.

2. the facilities for storing and supplying this water, as reservoirs and pipelines.

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water supply British  

noun

1. an arrangement of reservoirs, purification plant, distribution pipes, etc, for providing water to a community

2. the supply of treated and purified water for a community

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Other Word Forms

• water-supply adjective

Etymology

Origin of water supply

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

In a February memo, the DHS said the warehouses it is purchasing already have sufficient water supply.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

He studied water supply and sewerage engineering at Zhengzhou University in central China.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

They said: "There was a lot of concerns here about the potential effects on water supply and the way planning and approval was handled."

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

"The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks," he said, adding that repairs were under way.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

When banking stops, credit stops, and when credit stops, trade stops, and when trade stops—well, the city of Chicago had only eight days of chlorine on hand for its water supply.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• water system
• waterworks