nonpoint

adjective

non·​point ˌnän-ˈpȯint How to pronounce nonpoint (audio)
: being a source of pollution (such as runoff from farmland) that is not confined to a single point
also : being pollution or a pollutant that does not arise from a single identifiable source

Examples of nonpoint in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
But the bigger culprits are nonpoint sources, the thousands of farms where runoff from fields reaches rivers or other tributaries feeding western Lake Erie. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 13 July 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonpoint was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near nonpoint

Cite this Entry

“Nonpoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonpoint. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!