wastewater

noun

waste·​wa·​ter ˈwāst-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: water that has been used (as in a manufacturing process) : sewage

Examples of wastewater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This sounds like an odd thing to research, but cocaine and its metabolites—along with other drugs and pharmaceuticals—are widespread in the environment, mainly from human wastewater. —Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026

Modern wastewater treatment plants often fail to scrub out the microscopic remnants of the world’s pharmaceutical and illicit drug use. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026

The township's resolution raises concerns over data centers' potential to produce massive amounts of wastewater, chemical pollution, or water that has been warmed by cooling systems. —CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

Bass made her announcement at the water reclamation facility, where construction is ongoing to double the site’s capacity to turn wastewater into pure drinking water. —Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wastewater

• annunciator
• imprimatur
• underwater
• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater