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
Across the country, stormwater runoff can carry oil, grease, bacteria, dirt and waste into nearby waterways.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Making this change would allow area lines to process more stormwater.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Permeable paver parking lots improve water quality and drainage because they are designed to gradually filter stormwater into the lot’s underlying subbase, the release said.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
The proposal, intended to alleviate chronic flooding in the region, involves constructing two 12-foot-diameter tunnels to divert stormwater from federal reservoirs to the Gulf of Mexico—a much narrower and shallower option than previously studied by local authorities.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stormwater
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Christopher Cann, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Making this change would allow area lines to process more stormwater.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Permeable paver parking lots improve water quality and drainage because they are designed to gradually filter stormwater into the lot’s underlying subbase, the release said.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
The proposal, intended to alleviate chronic flooding in the region, involves constructing two 12-foot-diameter tunnels to divert stormwater from federal reservoirs to the Gulf of Mexico—a much narrower and shallower option than previously studied by local authorities.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stormwater
Cite this Entry
“Stormwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stormwater. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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