winterbourne

American

[win-ter-bawrn, -bohrn, -boorn] / ˈwɪn tərˌbɔrn, -ˌboʊrn, -ˌbʊərn /

noun

a channel filled only at a time of excessive rainfall.

winterbourne British

/ ˈwɪntəˌbɔːn /

noun

a stream flowing only after heavy rainfall, esp in winter

"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

Etymology

Origin of winterbourne

before 950; Old English winterburna (not recorded in ME). See winter, burn 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 criticisms are echoed by public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally, who has led a number of reviews into health service failures, including an NHS panel on Winterbourne View.

From BBC

“I mean, her name’s Eudora Winterbourne. And don’t make some kind of stupid connection between ‘winter’ and ‘snow.’

From Literature

The water company - which supplies water to the Winterbourne, Stoke Gifford and Bradley Stoke areas of the county impacted by the burst - said that the issue has been permanently fixed and apologised for any disruption.

From BBC

Bottles of water were supplied to residents outside the Co-op on Winterbourne Road from yesterday evening and throughout today.

From BBC

More than 50 balloons are floating over Bristol heading north-east over the city centre towards Filton and Winterbourne.

From BBC

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