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

By using Spot instead, Caltrans can avoid putting workers in deep culverts, stormwater systems, bridge interiors and other areas that pose collapse risks. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026

The underground system is also able to treat stormwater and reuse it to irrigate the campus. —Tara Molina, CBS News, 4 June 2026

In Sunnyvale, stormwater flows into local creeks and the bay without treatment. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 31 May 2026

The town will replant a total of 52 new trees with tree pits designed to support root growth and maintain stormwater runoff, according to a project newsletter. —Celia Gruber, Hartford Courant, 29 May 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