water right

American  

noun

1. the right to make use of the water from a particular stream, lake, or irrigation canal.

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water right British  

noun

1. the right to make use of a water supply, as for irrigation

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Etymology

Origin of water right

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95

Example Sentences

“The market is treading water right now waiting for its next catalyst,” said Paul Stanley, CIO at Granite Bay Wealth Management in Portsmouth, NH.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

"We are running out of water right across the UK," she said.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2025

“We had people in the water right up until sunset,” she says.

From National Geographic • Nov. 17, 2023

“For more than 100 years, there have been horrifying observations of terrestrial insects jumping into water right before our eyes all over the world,” he says.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 19, 2023

But even as he spoke, one of those thin black fins suddenly changed direction and came cutting swiftly through the water right up to the side of the peach itself.

From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl