water table

or wa·ter·ta·ble

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noun

the planar, underground surface beneath which earth materials, as soil or rock, are saturated with water.

Architecture. a projecting stringcourse or similar structural member placed so as to divert rainwater from a building.

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Origin of water table

A late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Words nearby water table

water starwort, water stick insect, water strider, water supply, water system, water table, water target, water taxi, water thrush, water tiger, watertight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use water table in a sentence

The water table, she says, is rising—seeping into gas lines and corroding furnaces from the inside out.
How rising groundwater caused by climate change could devastate coastal communities|Kendra Pierre-Louis|December 13, 2021|MIT Technology Review
However, the study found evidence to suggest that even riparian trees, which thrive along rivers and streams, seemed dry as the water table receded but were still releasing significant amounts of methane.
Trees in the wetlands emit more methane than researchers thought|Nikita Amir|December 9, 2021|Popular-Science
Understanding that the depth of the water table, and not just inundation, can affect emissions is key to refining current carbon cycle models, according to Enrich-Prast.
Trees in the wetlands emit more methane than researchers thought|Nikita Amir|December 9, 2021|Popular-Science
As water-strapped regions rely more heavily on deep groundwater, overpumping lowers the water table and draws down polluted modern water that can mix with the older water.
What it’s like to drink water that’s 15,000 years old|Grunes et al./The Conversation|October 10, 2021|Popular-Science

The fill sinks naturally and the subsidence worsens as the water table rises.
Before condo collapse, rising seas have long pressured Miami coastal properties|Josh Partlow, Darryl Fears, Jim Morrison, Jon Swaine|June 25, 2021|Washington Post
Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Placed in drinking water, fluoride can serve people who otherwise have poor access to dental care.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In secret, before the referendum, the council went ahead and fluoridated the water anyway.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Urbanity ushers in water that needs no apology, and gives a zest to the worst vintage.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Old Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
The two women had no intention of bathing; they had just strolled down to the beach for a walk and to be alone and near the water.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Mrs. Woodbury paints in oils and water-colors; the latter are genre scenes, and among them are several Dutch subjects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

British Dictionary definitions for water table

water table

noun

the surface of the water-saturated part of the ground, usually following approximately the contours of the overlying land surface

an offset or string course that has a moulding designed to throw rainwater clear of the wall below

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

Scientific definitions for water table

water table

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. Compare potentiometric surface.

Cultural definitions for water table

water table

The depth (measured from the surface of the Earth) at which underground water is first encountered.

water table

or wa·ter·ta·ble

Origin of water table

Words nearby water table

Words related to water table

How to use water table in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for water table

Scientific definitions for water table

Cultural definitions for water table