waterworks

plural noun

wa·​ter·​works ˈwȯ-tər-ˌwərks 

ˈwä-

1

: the system of reservoirs, channels, mains, and pumping and purifying equipment by which a water supply is obtained and distributed (as to a city)

2

: an ornamental fountain or cascade

3

: the shedding of tears : tears

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The waterworks will continue to sample and test water samples near the Ohio River water intake. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2023

Whoever comes up on top, Donna is preparing for a waterworks show of both happy and sad tears. —Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2023

A Tale of the Old Dominion from 1889, a maroon envelope too wet to open, a pamphlet from a 1888 waterworks project, a Victorian-era British coin, and a soggy envelope holding a ghostly photograph of the master stonemason who built the plinth. —Peter Weber, The Week, 23 Dec. 2021

The circa-1877 Pump House No. 1 still stands on the north end of the park as a reminder of the waterworks system owned by banker George Brackenridge, the park’s namesake. —Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Nov. 2021

The bureau controls the flow of the river with waterworks including the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona state line and Lake Powell formed by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah line. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Dec. 2022

There were hugs with Bryce Young’s parents and various Alabama VIPs but the waterworks flowed when Charles Kelly came in for the real thing. —Michael Casagrande | [e-mail], al, 1 Jan. 2023

The bureau controls the flow of the river with waterworks including the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona state line and Lake Powell formed by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah line. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Dec. 2022

The bureau controls the flow of the river with waterworks including the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona state line and Lake Powell formed by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah line. —Ken Ritter, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Dec. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing waterworks

• turn on the waterworks

• turn on the waterworks

Kids Definition

waterworks

noun plural

wa·​ter·​works ˈwȯt-ər-ˌwərks 

ˈwät-

: a system of reservoirs, pumps, and pipes for supplying water (as to a city)