wa ‧ ter ‧ works /ˈwɔːtəwɜːks $ ˈwɒːtərwɜːrks, ˈwɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [plural]
1 . the system of pipes and water supplies in a town or city
2 . a building in which water is cleaned and then pumped to houses, buildings etc
3 . turn on the waterworks informal to start crying in order to get sympathy:
‘Don’t turn on the waterworks,’ he sighed.
4 . informal the organs in your body through which ↑ urine (=liquid waste) is removed