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

This rainfall "of biblical proportions," as the local newspaper described it, swamped the city in waist-high stormwater.

—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block

Examples of stormwater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plus, moss plants provide a habitat for insects and other wildlife, and can be used to control erosion, absorb stormwater runoff, and suppress weeds. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2026

And clearing mature vegetation from the property would destroy wildlife habitat and send more stormwater runoff into the Rocky River and Clarke Creek watersheds, according to the petition. —Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026

The agreement established easements for access and stormwater improvements. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

In that scenario, Kissena Park, in Queens, could be inundated by more than nineteen feet of stormwater. —Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stormwater

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater