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
On a natural barrier island, rain and stormwater would drain into surrounding waters or slowly trickle into the ground.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
But crucial to the redevelopment are infrastructure costs, including less-sexy elements like water, stormwater and sewer systems that are in need of improvements alongside work on sidewalks, parking, lighting, outdoor gathering space and the like.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 26 Nov. 2025
The roughly 51-mile channel continues to serve as a hydro-highway shuttling stormwater runoff from the mountains to the sea.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
Most of it was focused on higher-profile projects — namely the substantial regrading of City Park Golf Course to create stormwater detention areas — and the program’s side benefits for the then-upcoming Interstate 70 project to the north.
—Jon Murray, Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2025
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Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
But crucial to the redevelopment are infrastructure costs, including less-sexy elements like water, stormwater and sewer systems that are in need of improvements alongside work on sidewalks, parking, lighting, outdoor gathering space and the like.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 26 Nov. 2025
The roughly 51-mile channel continues to serve as a hydro-highway shuttling stormwater runoff from the mountains to the sea.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
Most of it was focused on higher-profile projects — namely the substantial regrading of City Park Golf Course to create stormwater detention areas — and the program’s side benefits for the then-upcoming Interstate 70 project to the north.
—Jon Murray, Denver Post, 17 Nov. 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 5 Dec. 2025.
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