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tap water

tap water

27 1.0
Water that comes from a tap used for drinking or cooking
  • noun
  • /tæp ˈwɔːtər/
translation icon : agua del grifo
  • You don 't want to drink the tap water.
  • drink tap water
  • tap water quality
  • access to tap water

Finally, can I use tap water to water my spider plant?

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Examples

  • Can I get you bottled or tap water for this evening?

  • Stay away from tap water.

  • Oh, I drink tap water.

  • Just bring me a glass of tap water.

  • My favorite water is going to be the tap water from Santa Cruz and New York City.

  • On the day in question, however, everyone had to drink tap water because the bottled water had run out.

    Academic text (2003)
  • We have only tap water because, you know, Gary didn't shop.

  • It's just tap water.

  • The bouts of vomiting stopped when the family stopped using tap water for drinking.

    Academic text (2003)
  • You can safely drink the tap water in most hotels in this city.

Antonyms

38 1.0

Water sold in bottles for people to drink

How Clean

bottled water
38 1.0
tap water
27 1.0
rainwater
22 1.0
well water
6 2.8

Surface Forms

tap water singular
tap waters plural

Morphology

tap + water

The meaning 'water that comes from a tap' is directly and compositionally derived from 'tap' (a device controlling water flow) + 'water' (the potable liquid), so a learner who knows both words will readily infer the phrase. This noun–noun compound pattern is common across languages and in English, making the construction immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

The noun tap water comes from the simple image of water flowing from a tap, called a 'faucet' in some places, straight into your glass. So tap water means water that comes directly 'from a tap' rather than from a bottle, used for drinking, cooking, or cleaning.