stormwater
noun
storm·wa·ter
ˈstȯrm-ˌwȯ-tər 
-ˌwä-
: rainwater produced by a storm
a stormwater management system
As stormwater runs over lawns, streets and other man-made surfaces, it picks up pollutants—phosphorous and nitrogen from fertilizers, bacteria from pet waste and road salt, to name a few—and carries them into local streams and lakes.—
Delen Goldberg
Delen GoldbergThis rainfall "of biblical proportions," as the local newspaper described it, swamped the city in waist-high stormwater.—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block
Christopher Cooper and Robert BlockExamples of stormwater in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Over the decades, the state and counties in the region have built more than 500 miles of paved flood control channels to direct stormwater runoff and flows from the Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
And the number of days during the wet season, which runs from October through April, on which stormwater pump stations were fully functional rose slightly, from 86% to 90%.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
This is already happening across the Hudson River where Hoboken’s new ResilinCity Park is designed to hold 2 million gallons of stormwater, keeping a 20-block area that was known to flood dry.
—Amy Chester, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
The dogs followed Gracie’s scent to a stormwater drainage pipe in the area.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2026
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Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
And the number of days during the wet season, which runs from October through April, on which stormwater pump stations were fully functional rose slightly, from 86% to 90%.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
This is already happening across the Hudson River where Hoboken’s new ResilinCity Park is designed to hold 2 million gallons of stormwater, keeping a 20-block area that was known to flood dry.
—Amy Chester, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
The dogs followed Gracie’s scent to a stormwater drainage pipe in the area.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stormwater
Cite this Entry
“Stormwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stormwater. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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