water table
Americannoun
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the planar, underground surface beneath which earth materials, as soil or rock, are saturated with water.
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Architecture. a projecting stringcourse or similar structural member placed so as to divert rainwater from a building.
noun
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the surface of the water-saturated part of the ground, usually following approximately the contours of the overlying land surface
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an offset or string course that has a moulding designed to throw rainwater clear of the wall below
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The upper surface of an area filled with groundwater, separating the zone of aeration (the subsurface region of soil and rocks in which the pores are filled with air and usually some water) from the zone of saturation (the subsurface region in which the pores are filled only with water). Water tables rise and fall with seasonal moisture, water absorption by vegetation, and the withdrawal of groundwater from wells, among other factors. The water table is not flat but has peaks and valleys that generally conform to the overlying land surface.
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Compare potentiometric surface
Etymology
Origin of water table
A late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
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.
Lowering the water table allows oxygen to enter the soil, speeding up microbial activity.
From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2026
The Fed has said the cost overruns are due to part to unforeseen conditions like more asbestos than anticipated and a higher-than-expected water table.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 11, 2026
Those include asbestos, soil contamination, and a higher-than-expected water table.
From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026
Veni blames “the fluctuating water table of the Floridan aquifer” for the high rate of sinkholes in the state.
From Slate • Oct. 17, 2025
Moistening the clay was easy—capillary action will draw up water from the floodplain, which has a high water table.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
