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Meaning & use

effluent

noun·Advancedtechnical

Last updated

UK/ˈeflʊənt/
US/ˈeflʊənt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountabletechnical

    Liquid waste that flows out of a factory, farm or sewage plant, often into a river or sea.

    Grammar: Usually uncountable: industrial effluent is regulated.

    Patterns

    • effluent from something
    • effluent into something

    Effluent from the factory was poisoning the river.

    The plant treats its effluent before releasing it into the bay.

    Farmers must store effluent safely to protect the stream.

  2. noununcountabletechnicalrare

    Any stream of liquid, gas or other matter that flows out from a source.

    Grammar: A rare, scientific use: not common in everyday talk.

    The scientists measured the effluent leaving the reactor.

    Gaseous effluent was filtered through the chimney.

    The lab tested the effluent from the cooling system.

Word forms

pluraleffluents

Common combinations

industrial effluent
Industrial effluent was found in the lake.
treat effluent
The city must treat effluent before release.
discharge effluent
The mill was fined for discharging effluent into the river.
sewage effluent
Sewage effluent carries bacteria and nutrients.
toxic effluent
Toxic effluent killed fish for miles downstream.

Synonyms and how they differ

wastewater
Wastewater is the plain everyday word for used water, whereas effluent is more technical and often points to released waste.
sewage
Sewage means waste from toilets and drains, while effluent can also come from factories and farms.
discharge
Discharge is any released substance, whereas effluent specifically means outflowing liquid waste.
runoff
Runoff is rainwater that flows over land, and effluent comes from a specific man-made source.

Opposites

influent

Word family

effluence noun
the act of flowing out, or something that flows out
influent adjective
flowing in
efflux noun
an outward flow
affluent adjective
wealthy (a different word that sounds similar)

Commonly confused: effluent or affluent?

effluent vs affluent

Affluent means rich, while effluent means liquid waste. They sound alike but have unrelated meanings.

Practice

The company was fined after ___ from its plant turned the stream orange.

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