I. wa ‧ ter 1 S1 W1 /ˈwɔːtə $ ˈwɒːtər, ˈwɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ underwater , water, ↑ waterless ; noun : ↑ water , waters; verb : ↑ water ; adverb : ↑ underwater ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: wæter ]
1 . LIQUID the clear liquid without colour, smell, or taste that falls as rain and that is used for drinking, washing etc:
There’s water all over the bathroom floor.
Does anyone want a drink of water?
a glass of sparkling mineral water
All rooms have hot and cold running water.
Pour boiling water over the rice and let it soak.
a fresh water spring
When dealing with a burst pipe, always turn off the water first.
contamination of the local water supply
2 . AREA OF WATER
a) an area of water such as the sea, a lake etc
shallow/deep water
Rangoon is surrounded on three sides by water.
Denzil dived into the water.
He stepped down to the water’s edge.
by water (=by boat)
The temple can only be reached by water.
b) the surface of a lake, river etc ⇨ underwater
on the water
something floating on the water
3 . waters [plural] a large area of water, especially an ocean that is near or belongs to a particular country:
the coastal waters of Alaska
Korean/Mexican/Pacific etc waters
The ship drifted into Turkish territorial waters.
a species found in inland waters (=not the sea, but rivers, lakes etc)
4 . high/low water the highest or lowest level of the sea and some rivers SYN tide
5 . uncharted/troubled/murky waters formal a situation that is difficult, dangerous, or unfamiliar:
the uncharted waters of the 21st century
6 . be (all) water under the bridge informal used to say that what happened in the past should be forgotten
7 . like water if you use something or spend money like water, you use or spend large amounts of it when you should try to save it – used to show disapproval:
Some of the companies were spending money like water.
8 . like water off a duck’s back informal if criticism, warnings etc are like water off a duck’s back, they have no effect on the person you are saying them to
9 . sb’s waters break when a ↑ pregnant woman’s waters break, liquid comes from her body just before her baby is born
10 . water on the brain/knee old-fashioned informal liquid around the brain or knee as the result of a disease
11 . take the waters old-fashioned to wash yourself in or drink special water that is thought to make you healthy
12 . make/pass water formal to ↑ urinate
⇨ ↑ soda water , ↑ toilet water , ⇨ in deep water at ↑ deep 1 (15), ⇨ take to something like a duck to water at ↑ duck 1 (4), ⇨ of the first water at ↑ first 1 (18), ⇨ (be/feel) like a fish out of water at ↑ fish 1 (3), ⇨ not hold water at ↑ hold 1 (37), ⇨ in hot water at ↑ hot 1 (10), ⇨ muddy the waters at ↑ muddy 2 (2), ⇨ pour cold water over/on something at ↑ pour (6), ⇨ still waters run deep at ↑ still 2 (5), ⇨ test the water at ↑ test 2 (7), ⇨ tread water at ↑ tread 1 (5), ⇨ troubled waters at ↑ troubled (3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + water
▪ drinking water (=water that you can drink safely)
There is no source of drinking water on the island.
▪ tap water (=water that comes out of a tap)
The tap water is not safe to drink.
▪ bottled water (=water to drink that you buy in bottles)
Sales of bottled water have rocketed.
▪ mineral water (=water that has natural substances in it, and is sold in bottles)
The mineral water comes from the Scottish mountain.
▪ spring water (=water that comes naturally out of the ground and has not been treated with any chemicals, usually sold in bottles)
I ordered a glass of spring water.
▪ running water (=water that comes out of a system of pipes into buildings)
Only half the city’s houses had running water.
▪ fresh water (=water in lakes, rivers etc that does not contain salt)
This bird is usually found in open country near fresh water.
▪ salt water (=water from the sea, or water to which salt has been added)
He washed his hands in a pool of salt water.
▪ hard (=containing a lot of calcium)
Hard water is formed as rainwater passes down through layers of limestone.
▪ soft (=not containing much calcium)
In our area the water is quite soft.
▪ hot
There isn't any hot water!
▪ cold
The water in the pool was pretty cold.
▪ lukewarm (=only slightly warm)
Stir the yeast into lukewarm water.
▪ clean
Millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water.
▪ dirty
Diseases can be spread by dirty water.
▪ contaminated (=water that has harmful substances in it)
They became ill from drinking contaminated water.
▪ soapy
Wash your hands with hot soapy water.
■ water + NOUN
▪ the water supply (=water and the lakes, reservoirs etc where it is stored )
A dam was built to improve the water supply.
▪ a water shortage
There is a severe water shortage in many parts of the country.
■ phrases
▪ a glass of water
She poured herself a glass of water.
▪ a drink of water
He asked for a drink of water.
■ verbs
▪ turn the water off/on (=turn a tap to stop water coming out of pipes or to let it come out)
Turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth.
▪ water runs
I let the cool water run down my back.
▪ water flows
We watched the water flow under the bridge.
II. water 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ underwater , water, ↑ waterless ; noun : ↑ water , waters; verb : ↑ water ; adverb : ↑ underwater ]
1 . PLANT/LAND [transitive] if you water plants or the ground they are growing in, you pour water on them:
Will you water my houseplants while I’m away?
The garden needs watering daily.
2 . your eyes water if your eyes water, ↑ tear s come out of them:
Chopping onions makes my eyes water.
⇨ ↑ mouth-watering , ⇨ make your mouth water at ↑ mouth 1 (11)
3 . ANIMAL [transitive] to give an animal water to drink:
Have the horses been fed and watered?
4 . RIVER [transitive usually passive] technical if an area is watered by a river, the river flows through it and provides it with water:
Colombia is watered by several rivers.
5 . WEAKEN [transitive] ( also water down ) to add water to a drink to make it less strong
water something ↔ down phrasal verb
1 . to make a statement, report etc less forceful by changing it or removing parts that may offend people – used to show disapproval:
The report of the investigation had been watered down.
⇨ ↑ watered-down
2 . to add water to a drink to make it less strong SYN dilute