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Glite Dictionary
to siphon water

to siphon water

1 5.2
To move water through a tube from one place to another by letting it flow down
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈsaɪfən ˈwɔːtər/
translation icon : sifonar agua
  • The workers had to siphon water from the tank into the truck for transport.

Examples

  • He used a hose to siphon water from the pool to the garden.

  • Think somebody's been siphoning the water from the creek.

    Gunner (2024)

  • The momentum of the ejected water caused it to leave the boiler with a partial vacuum; this siphoned water into the boiler, and the cycle was repeated.

    Academic text (2009)

  • El Dorado built new wells and elected to install a prefabricated pumping system to siphon water from a pair of two-million-gallon ground storage tanks and deliver it to the distribution system.

    Academic text (2003)

  • They decided to siphon water from the lake using a pump.

Synonyms

to drain
vsto siphon water
198 1.0

To let liquid flow away from something

moves liquid through a tube using gravity and air pressure not by emptying
to siphon
vsto siphon water
43 6.0

To move liquid from one container to another using a tube and gravity

is for that single common liquid rather than any liquid
to tap
vsto siphon water
32 1.1

To take liquid from a container or tree

uses a tube and air pressure to move liquid, not by opening a spout
to pump water
vsto siphon water
7 1.6

Move water from one place to another using a machine

moves liquid without mechanical parts, using air pressure and gravity
to siphon off
vsto siphon water
2 6.6

To move liquid or money from one place to another slowly and often secretly

uses a tube and air pressure to move liquid physically

Antonyms

to fill
∞ 1.0

To make a place full by putting people or things into it

How Much

to empty
179 1.0
to drain
198 1.0
to siphon water
1 5.2
to leak
212 1.0
to drip
171 1.0

Surface Forms

siphon water infinitive
siphoned water past
siphoned water past participle
siphoning water present participle
siphons water third person singular

Morphology

siphon + water

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: knowing 'siphon' (a tube or the action of moving liquid by a tube) and 'water' leads to the interpretation 'to move or draw water using a siphon'. The action is literal and mechanistic (not idiomatic), and similar constructions exist across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.

Etymology

Siphon water comes from the image of a long tube called a siphon. You start the flow and water runs from a higher place to a lower place by itself, so the phrase means 'to move water from one place to another using a tube'.