Meaning & use
downpipe
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A vertical pipe fixed to the outside of a building that carries rainwater from the roof gutters down to the ground or a drain.
Grammar: Countable: one downpipe, several downpipes.
Patterns
- a downpipe from something
Leaves blocked the downpipe, so water poured over the gutter.
We painted the downpipe the same gray as the window frames.
The downpipe empties into a barrel at the back of the garden.
nouncountabletechnical
In a car, the pipe that connects the turbocharger or engine exhaust manifold to the rest of the exhaust system.
Grammar: Countable and usually used by car enthusiasts: upgrade the downpipe.
He fitted a larger downpipe to improve the turbo's performance.
The mechanic found a crack in the downpipe.
Word forms
| plural | downpipes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a cast iron downpipe
- The old house still has its original cast iron downpipe.
- clear a downpipe
- I climbed the ladder to clear the downpipe of moss.
- a blocked downpipe
- A blocked downpipe can cause damp on the wall.
- fit a sports downpipe
- Many owners fit a sports downpipe to get more power.
Synonyms and how they differ
- downspout
- Downspout is the usual American word for the roof-drainage pipe, whereas downpipe sounds British.
- drainpipe
- Drainpipe can also mean any pipe that carries waste water, so it is less specific to roofs than downpipe.
- leader
- Leader is a technical roofing term used by builders and is rarely heard in everyday speech.
Word family
Commonly confused: downpipe or downspout?
downpipe vs downspout
Downspout means the same as the building downpipe but is the common American term.
Practice
After the storm, water overflowed because a ___ at the corner of the house was blocked with leaves.
Choose one answer.
A downpipe carries roof water to the ground, so a blockage causes overflow; the other parts of a house do not channel rainwater.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “downpipe”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.