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 said one client of his, a 90-year-old lady, asked him: "Do I have to walk a watering can up my garden? I don't think I can do that."

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

It’s pretty dark in there, so I can’t see much—a wicker table piled with mail and magazines, an old-fashioned umbrella stand, and a green plastic watering can on the floor.

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

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