outfall

noun

out·​fall ˈau̇t-ˌfȯl How to pronounce outfall (audio)
: the outlet of a body of water (such as a river or lake)
especially : the mouth of a drain or sewer

Examples of outfall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The pipe carries runoff from the neighborhood’s stormwater system to an outfall at a nearby canyon. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2023 As of Wednesday, 52 beaches were closed, many concentrated around the Boston area, Gloucester, and other areas where combined sewer outfalls occur. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2023 The beach is near an outfall that collects runoff from several neighborhood storm drains. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2023 The Winnetka Park Board briefly addressed concerns brought forward at the May 16 Winnetka Village Council meeting by Village President Chris Rintz regarding ongoing negotiations between the Park and Village Boards for the restoration of the stormwater outfall pipe at Elder Lane Beach. Alex Hulvalchick, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2023 Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have long said that investing billions of dollars to upgrade the Point Loma plant would waste taxpayer money because of the 4.5-mile outfall and because the plant already conducts relatively advanced treatment. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2020 Many Mile Mews, will include the replacement of the pond’s riser and spillway pipe, creation of a shallow wetland within the pond to provide water quality treatment and stabilization of inflow channels and pond outfall with rock structures, according to a news release. Allana Haynes, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2023 By the time human waste reaches a typical sewer outfall or treatment plant, any potentially intact viruses are likely too diluted to be infectious, says environmental engineer Jordan Peccia of Yale University, who is testing wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 in Connecticut. Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | AAAS, 4 Sep. 2020 For several years, water samples collected by the nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore found that the river near the troubled treatment plant’s outfall was safe to swim in 100% of the time — at least during dry weather. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 6 Oct. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outfall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of outfall was in 1629

Dictionary Entries Near outfall

Cite this Entry

“Outfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outfall. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!