white water
Americannoun
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frothy water, as in whitecaps and rapids.
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light-colored seawater over a shoal, sandy bottom, etc.
noun
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a stretch of water with a broken foamy surface, as in rapids
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light-coloured sea water, esp over shoals or shallows
Etymology
Origin of white water
First recorded in 1580–90
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 river — a popular spot for white water rafting around this time of the year — is fast-moving and dangerous.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025
You’ll walk next to churning, frothing white water.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023
They are small today, relatively at least, but there is still a backdrop of bubbling white water and churning white noise.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2023
The unsinkable otters laze buoyant on their backs in the pounding white water, and the seabirds hover and settle gently on the point of a rock in the gale, balancing on thin bare legs.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2023
The trail comes down to the riverbank just upstream from a narrow gorge, through which the Teklanika surges in a boil of white water.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
