ˈwȯ|d.ə(r)ˌgāt, ˈwä|, |tə(r)-, usually -ād.ˌV noun
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: from The Watergate , apartment and office complex in Washington, D.C.; from the scandal following the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters there in 1972
: a scandal usually involving abuses of office and the compounding of wrongdoing through a cover-up