watering can

American

noun

a container for water, typically of metal or plastic and having a spout with a perforated nozzle, for watering or sprinkling plants, flowers, etc.

watering can British

noun

a container with a handle and a spout with a perforated nozzle used to sprinkle water over plants

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

watering cans

plural

Etymology

Origin of watering can

First recorded in 1685–95

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.

See Examples For:

watering can

He has mobility issues that restrict him from using a watering can - which is allowed during the ban - rather than a hosepipe to water his garden.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025

Ito’s last task was to grab his watering can out of the trunk and fill up at a nearby tap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2023

One such rescue and rehab originated at the Monroe Auto Swap Meet, where fate intervened on behalf of a rusted-out watering can.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

Well, then, here’s a watering can and some fertilizer.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 30, 2023

There was nothing on the back porch but a metal watering can and piles of dried-up leaves that had been pushed into a corner.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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