puddle

1 of 2

noun

pud·​dle ˈpə-dᵊl 

1

: a very small pool of usually dirty or muddy water

2

a

: an earthy mixture (as of clay, sand, and gravel) worked while wet into a compact mass that becomes impervious to water when dry

b

: a thin mixture of soil and water for puddling plants

puddle

2 of 2

verb

puddled; puddling ˈpəd-liŋ 

ˈpə-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to dabble or wade around in a puddle

transitive verb

1

: to make muddy or turbid : muddle

2

a

: to work (a wet mixture of earth or concrete) into a dense impervious mass

b

: to subject (iron) to the process of puddling

3

a

: to strew with puddles

b

: to compact (soil) especially by working when too wet

c

: to dip the roots of (a plant) in a thin mud before transplanting

puddler

ˈpəd-lər 

ˈpə-dᵊl-ər

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• billabong [Australian]
• mere [chiefly British]
• pool
• stank [British dialect]
• well

Examples of puddle in a Sentence

Noun

She accidentally stepped in a puddle and got her shoes wet.

After the storm, the road was covered in deep puddles.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Price’s notice to the sheriff on Friday comes nearly three years to the day after Monk, 45, was declared dead after being found face-down in his cell next to a puddle of urine and uneaten food, according to a lawsuit filed by his family that resulted in a $7 million settlement with the county. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024

On Tuesday night on WWE NXT, Ripley was attacked by Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in her car, leaving the Australian in a puddle of her own blood. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Verb

Water had puddled on our carpet; the floor was drenched. —Kristen Arnett, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024

The return of corduroy trousers was solidified when The Row gave this tired wardrobe staple a new lease on life in its spring-summer 2024 collection, with baggy pants that artfully puddled at the ankles. —Emma Spedding, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English podel; akin to Low German pudel puddle, Old English pudd ditch

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing puddle

• puddle duck
• puddle jumper

Kids Definition

puddle

1 of 2 noun

pud·​dle ˈpəd-ᵊl 

: a very small pool (as of dirty or muddy water)

puddle

2 of 2 verb

puddled; puddling ˈpəd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to make muddy

2

: to cover with puddles

puddler

-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun