groundwater

noun

ground·​wa·​ter ˈgrau̇nd-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: water within the earth especially that supplies wells and springs

Examples of groundwater in a Sentence

There were concerns about contaminated groundwater.

Recent Examples on the Web

In those cases, scientists determined the spheres were likely formed from interactions with groundwater circulating through the rocks' pores. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025

Then twin calamities struck: The price of silver slumped, and the mines flooded with groundwater when miners hit the aquifer. —Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025

Coal ash contaminates groundwater and makes large amounts of land unavailable for development. PINES, the town’s community group, formed in about 2003 when residents found heavy metals in their drinking wells. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025

These giant pools, which are supposed to help big farms deal with increasingly frequent droughts, require pumping groundwater out of aquifers. —Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for groundwater

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• headwater
• manslaughter

Kids Definition

groundwater

noun

ground·​wa·​ter ˈgrau̇n-ˌdwȯt-ər 

-ˌdwät-

: water within the earth that supplies wells and springs