water back

American

noun

a reservoir or arrangement of tubing at the back of certain stoves or fireplaces for containing water to be heated by the fire.

water back British

noun

the US name for back boiler

"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 water back

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

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.

He tried not watering at all, but when he saw the California fuchsia, also called ‘hummingbird fuchsia’ because the birds love it, struggling, he turned the water back on.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

That would be like the captain of the Titanic trying to save the ship by drilling more holes in the bottom, in the hope that they would let the water back out.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 9, 2026

He said teams had also been "working around the clock" to restore water back to properties as quickly as possible.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025

That’s why the city decided to put non-potable water back into residents’ homes rather than waiting until the water was safe to drink.

From Slate • Nov. 2, 2024

And I reached and reached, pulling massive armfuls of the water back along my sides as I kicked through the current.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023