white water

noun

variants or whitewater

ˈ(h)wīt-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: turbulent, frothy water (as in breakers, rapids, or falls)

… it's New England's toughest stretch of … white water, a maze of boulders and narrow channels.

—Michael D. Burke

… he chased whitewater in some of North America's most remote corners …

—Mark Bechtel

When seized by white water, the idea is to swim for the bottom (if you can tell which way that is), pray to stay relaxed and conserve your air …

—Kenny Moore

white water rafting

a whitewater outfitter

white-water paddlers

Examples of white water in a Sentence

The canoe got caught in white water.

Recent Examples on the Web

Choose from skiing in winter and white water rafting, canyoning, and ziplining in the warmer months. —AFAR Media, 23 Dec. 2024

However, nothing compared to the white water rafting mishap at age 21. —Rosalind Bowling, The Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2024

Stretching before them was white water ripping through a land-mine of boulders. —Curtis Varnell The Timepiece, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024

The group of very high adventure kids hiked volcanos and went white water rafting, zip lining, rappelling, rock climbing and drove ATVs. —Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

white water

noun

: rough foamy water (as in rapids or waterfalls)