puddle

noun

pud·dle | \ ˈpə-dᵊl

Definition of puddle

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a very small pool of usually dirty or muddy water

2a : an earthy mixture (as of clay, sand, and gravel) worked while wet into a compact mass that becomes impervious to water when dry

b : a thin mixture of soil and water for puddling plants

puddle

verb

puddled; puddling\ ˈpəd-liŋ ,

ˈpə-dᵊl-iŋ \

Definition of puddle (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to dabble or wade around in a puddle

transitive verb

1 : to make muddy or turbid : muddle

2a : to work (a wet mixture of earth or concrete) into a dense impervious mass

b : to subject (iron) to the process of puddling

3a : to strew with puddles

b : to compact (soil) especially by working when too wet

c : to dip the roots of (a plant) in a thin mud before transplanting

Other Words from puddle Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about puddle

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Synonyms for puddle

Synonyms: Noun

billabong [Australian], mere [chiefly British], pool, stank [British dialect], well

Examples of puddle in a Sentence

Noun

She accidentally stepped in a puddle and got her shoes wet. After the storm, the road was covered in deep puddles.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Our rubber boots prevented our socks from getting soaked in the puddles along the way. — James F. Mccarty, cleveland.com, "Colombia offers unspoiled beauty for tourists after being unreachable for decades (photos)," 13 Feb. 2018 Faded candy wrappers, bits of paper, straws, cigarette butts, plastic utensils and other trash were embedded in the grassy sidewalk near the blood puddles. — Emily Lane, NOLA.com, "'This ain't nothing new,' 7th Ward man says after someone shot dead on his block," 26 Jan. 2018 If the puddle is minimal, wait another hour or simply pack into a jar and top off with water. — Lisa Beebe, Good Housekeeping, "This Woman Travels The Country In A School Bus Teaching People How To Pickle," 12 Dec. 2017 My primary testing level, a campaign battle through a French forest, includes plumes of smoke, towering flames, and dense forest scenes that only rarely reflect off of puddles and lakes. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "How I went from testing a fancy new graphics card to shouting at Windows 10," 24 Nov. 2018 While Power was upset that the race restarted in first place and that he got caught in a puddle on the front straightaway, Frye said the consensus of the paddock at the time was that the race was ready to resume. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Why did IndyCar let teams refuel before restart at Alabama?," 23 Apr. 2018 The cathedral of candles melted onto the sidewalk, spreading out into red gooey puddles. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Stewards of the Blood," 23 Jan. 2018 The accompanying flatbreads, blackened in spots, were the tiniest touch doughy, but still delicious, and a puddle of creamy yogurt sauce was ask-for-seconds good. — Kate Washington, sacbee, "Dining review: Unpretentious and exceptional, East Sacramento’s Canon is an ‘instant classic’ | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Jan. 2018 At its best, the show is a tribute to the ludic impulse that many of us carelessly abandoned back on the elementary school playground, the ability to make a branch or a puddle or a chunk of chalked up pavement into some new thing, some new world. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "Review: Mummenschanz Offers Wonder, and a Grumpy Trash Bag," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Three different kinds of cheese, freshly snipped basil, and sweet tomato sauce puddled with olive oil. — Keith Flanagan, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Best Places for Pizza in New York City," 1 Mar. 2018 Cast-iron-roasted chicken took a familiar comfort to a new level, the bird’s tawny skin drizzled with rich jus that puddled into potato gnocchi flecked with Cabot cheddar. — Craig Laban, Philly.com, "Craig LaBan's first bite of the Delaware beaches | A dining guide," 15 June 2018 Scientists calculate that up to 250 million beaver ponds once puddled the continent—impounding enough water to submerge Washington, Oregon, and California. — Ben Goldfarb, Science | AAAS, "Beaver dams without beavers? Artificial logjams are a popular but controversial restoration tool," 7 June 2018 Believe it or not, the company drew more clients on that infamous October night in 2008 when the Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays kept playing Game 5 of the World Series despite heavy rain and puddling on the infield. — Bob Brookover, Philly.com, "Phillies to play at 12:05 today, if rain stops | Extra Innings," 16 May 2018 Rainwater was puddling deeply on the playing surface as the Kiwis did their dance. — Alan Dymock, CNN, "From Fiji to fancy dress, how rugby fell in love with the Hong Kong Sevens," 6 Apr. 2018 The steel balconies seemed to sway with the movement of bodies; beer puddled on the floor near the stage where fans were packed tight. — Cathy Applefeld Olson, Billboard, "Foo Fighters Christen D.C.'s Newest Venue With Anthemic Hits," 13 Oct. 2017 The cratered outfield grass that puddled at the lightest spring rains has been uprooted. — Aaron Randle, kansascity, "Cutting-edge baseball academy about to open at 18th & Vine, but who will come play?," 26 Oct. 2017 There is, however, no runoff, as the spray was more like a mist that occasionally made a rainbow and left sidewalks wet, but not puddled. — Gary Warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Power-washing a dirty job, but could say lives in hep A outbreak," 29 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'puddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.