Meaning & use
aquifer
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A layer of rock, sand or gravel underground that stores water and lets it flow slowly to wells and springs.
Grammar: Countable: the aquifer, several aquifers.
Patterns
- an aquifer beneath something
- draw water from an aquifer
The town gets its drinking water from an aquifer deep under the plain.
Farmers pumped so much water that the aquifer began to run low.
Rainwater slowly seeps down and refills the aquifer.
Word forms
| plural | aquifers |
|---|
Common combinations
- underground aquifer
- An underground aquifer supplies the whole valley.
- deplete an aquifer
- Heavy irrigation can deplete an aquifer.
- recharge an aquifer
- Spring rains help recharge the aquifer.
- contaminated aquifer
- Chemical waste left the aquifer contaminated.
- confined aquifer
- A confined aquifer lies between layers of dense rock.
- tap an aquifer
- The city plans to tap a deeper aquifer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- water table
- The water table is the upper surface of the groundwater, not the rock layer that holds it, which is what aquifer names.
- groundwater
- Groundwater is the water itself, while an aquifer is the rock or sediment that contains it.
- reservoir
- A reservoir is usually an open lake or tank, while an aquifer is hidden underground.
Word family
Commonly confused: aquifer or aqueduct?
aquifer vs aqueduct
An aqueduct is a man-made channel or bridge that carries water, while an aquifer is a natural underground layer that stores it.
Practice
Why can heavy pumping harm an aquifer?
Choose one answer.
Aquifers refill slowly, so pumping faster than the natural recharge rate lowers the water supply. The other options are not realistic effects.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aquifer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.