waterfall

noun

wa·​ter·​fall ˈwȯ-tər-ˌfȯl 

ˈwä-

1

a

: a perpendicular or very steep descent of the water of a stream

b

: an artificial waterfall (as in a hotel lobby or a nightclub)

2

: something resembling a waterfall

Synonyms

• cascade

Examples of waterfall in a Sentence

I used to like to throw sticks in the stream and watch them go over the waterfall.

Recent Examples on the Web

No use shootin' for the moon / no use chasing waterfalls. —Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 5 Aug. 2025

The deceptively tranquil opening finds a monk meditating in a cave, then finding a mysterious conch shell in the pool beneath a waterfall. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Aug. 2025

To complete the illusion, the Lily Pool was dubbed a prairie river, and fed by a waterfall, since a river implies a source of water. —Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025

Work up an appetite on the popular 4.6-mile Lye Brook Falls trail; its capstone is a 125-foot-high waterfall. —Ashlea Halpern, AFAR Media, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for waterfall

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol

Kids Definition

waterfall

noun

wa·​ter·​fall ˈwȯt-ər-ˌfȯl 

ˈwät-

: a fall of water usually from a great height