groundwater

noun

ground·​wa·​ter ˈgrau̇nd-ˌwȯ-tər How to pronounce groundwater (audio)
-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Having the district own and manage the land was also a condition of a legal agreement that RRG reached to settle a lawsuit over an earlier iteration of the proposal, which Yolo County and a local groundwater agency had sued to challenge. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 In another recent headline-grabbing example, a Dallas millionaire plans to export groundwater from under his property in East Texas to the Metroplex. — Lexi Salazar, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 The research follows another study published last year, which found that the amount of groundwater pumped out of the Colorado River Basin over the previous two decades was enough to fill Lake Mead. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack. — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for groundwater

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of groundwater was circa 1889

Rhymes for groundwater

See All Rhymes for groundwater

Browse Nearby Words

groundward
groundwater
groundwater level
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Groundwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groundwater. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

groundwater

noun
ground·​wa·​ter ˈgrau̇n-ˌdwȯt-ər How to pronounce groundwater (audio)
-ˌdwät-
: water within the earth that supplies wells and springs

More from Merriam-Webster on groundwater

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about groundwater

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