plumbing

noun

plumb·​ing ˈplə-miŋ 

1

: the act of using a plumb

2

: a plumber's occupation or trade

3

a

: the apparatus (such as pipes and fixtures) concerned in the distribution and use of water in a building

b

: an internal system that resembles plumbing

especially : one consisting of conduits or channels for conveying fluids

Examples of plumbing in a Sentence

The house has old plumbing.

Recent Examples on the Web

The restaurant had to tear down its walls to ensure no mold was growing, and was forced to replace its equipment, furniture, plumbing and flooring. —Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026

The plastic doesn’t always dissolve well and can cause clogs in your plumbing. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026

Let’s talk about how our city government collects rent while failing to provide heat, clean air, or functioning plumbing, with more than 614,000 open work orders. —Renee Collymore, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026

The most bizarre parts of the testimony involved Saxon reiterating that Ye had wanted to essentially gut the beach house, an architectural landmark designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and eliminate stairs as well as outside electricity and plumbing in an attempt to take it off the grid. —Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plumbing

• indoor plumbing
• plumbing fixture

Rhymes for plumbing

• coming
• cumming
• drumming
• gumming
• humming
• numbing
• strumming
• summing
• thrumming
• thumbing
• becoming
• forthcoming

Kids Definition

plumbing

noun

plumb·​ing ˈpləm-iŋ 

1

: a plumber's work

2

: a system of pipes for supplying and carrying off water in a building