watertight

[waw-ter-tahyt, wot-er-]

See more synonyms for watertight on Thesaurus.com

adjective

constructed or fitted so tightly as to be impervious to water: The ship had six watertight compartments.
so devised or planned as to be impossible to defeat, evade, or nullify: a watertight contract; a watertight alibi.

Origin of watertight

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at water, tight

Related formswa·ter·tight·ness, nounnon·wa·ter·tight, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for watertight

perfect, sure, valid, proper, correct, true, airtight, short, uncomfortable, fast, impenetrable, resistant, invulnerable, inaccessible, immune, unmoved, unaffected, impassable, sound, real

Examples from the Web for watertight

Historical Examples of watertight

Eight of the largest boilers are set in watertight compartments.
Christopher Columbus and His Monument Columbia
Various
Before them was the watertight door, in which was set a large pane of quarsteel.
Under Arctic Ice
H.G. Winter
They are heavily built, with good beam and watertight compartments.
Life and sport in China
Oliver G. Ready
We might as well make our roof as watertight as we can before dark.
Yorke The Adventurer
Louis Becke
"The whole of the underbody of the outer envelope is watertight," he remarked.
The Dreadnought of the Air
Percy F. Westerman

British Dictionary definitions for watertight

watertight

adjective

not permitting the passage of water either in or outa watertight boat
without loopholesa watertight argument
kept separate from other subjects or influencesdifferent disciplines are often thought of in watertight compartments

Derived Formswatertightness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for watertight

adj.

late 14c., from water (n.1) + tight. Figurative use from 1640s.