watering

American

[waw-ter-ing, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tər ɪŋ, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun

the act of a person or thing that waters.
a watered appearance on silk or other fabric.

adjective

supplying water or used to water.
pertaining to medicinal springs or to a seabathing resort.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

waterings

plural

Etymology

Origin of watering

before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English wæterung. See water, -ing ¹, -ing ²

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.

The firm partially put this down to more water being used for activities including watering gardens and filling paddling pools.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2026

Hizarci pushes back against the suggestion that he might be watering down its unique character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

Francisco de Quevedo drank in long-gone watering holes where Luis de Góngora muttered his verse.

From Salon • Jun. 23, 2026

But “if you start to feel irritation, or your eyes are stinging or watering, or your nose is beginning to run or feel irritated, that’s a little more serious.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026

A sprinkler was watering in the lawn nearby.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023