water right

noun

: a right to the use of water (as for irrigation)
especially : riparian right

Examples of water right in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Landowners sold mineral, land, and water rights to oil and gas companies. Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025 Beneath the ideological narratives, global conflicts often come down to pragmatic goals such as geography, water rights, mineral rights and supply-chain control. Koray Köse, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Daryl Vigil, co-director of the Water & Tribes Initiative, an organization that provides support to basin tribes on water issues, said removing Cooke from consideration could pose another barrier to tribes settling their water rights and having a hand in managing their current allocations. Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025 The move is one of the first of many that will likely become the next phase of controversy over Great Lakes water rights as more tech companies look to the region for its seemingly endless supply of water. Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for water right

Word History

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water right was in 1793

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Water right.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20right. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!