water fountain
Americannoun
Usage
What is a water fountain? A water fountain is a device that ejects a fountainlike stream of water that can be drunk from without a cup. Water fountains are often for public use—they provide access to drinking water in places like government buildings, schools, and parks. There are many different designs for water fountains, but they all generally work by ejecting a jet of water that can be drunk from directly. Water fountains are also commonly called drinking fountains. Less commonly, water fountain can sometimes be used to refer to a water cooler. The term water fountain should not be confused with the kind of fountain that’s mainly for decoration, such as in city plazas, though of course such fountains also use water (but not for drinking). Example: Why would I buy a bottle of water from the vending machine when I could just fill up my water bottle for free from the water fountain?
Compare meaning
How does water-fountain compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Eventually we learned I had an immune condition; I also had mono, which felt cosmically unfair considering I had not yet been kissed and suspected I’d contracted it from the skating rink water fountain.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
The draw: a conference called “Mass Torts Made Perfect,” held in the hotel’s grand ballroom, tucked well behind its famous musical water fountain.
From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026
Brettler wanted the pool, which she swims in every day, to feel like a lake and used 10 different kinds of tile similar to the water fountain in front.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025
Biden also will meet with faculty and students at a Wilmington school that replaced a water fountain with high levels of lead with funding from the law.
From Seattle Times • May 2, 2024
If Ollie Mae sees us walk out of the sanctuary, she’ll think we went downstairs to the restroom or maybe to get a drink from the water fountain.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
