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

Almost 6,000 properties in Kent are experiencing water supply problems after a pipe from a treatment works burst.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Around the tents, workers are busy renovating the unsanitary restrooms, installing showers and connecting them to the water supply, and hooking up electricity.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

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

With the water supply gone, firemen could do very little unless they were near the river or lake and could draw water directly from those sources.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• water system
• waterworks