Meaning & use
hydrant
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Meanings
nouncountable
A standing street pipe connected to the water mains, from which firefighters can draw water.
Grammar: Has a plural: hydrants. Usually called a fire hydrant.
Patterns
- connect a hose to a hydrant
- a hydrant on the corner
The firefighters hooked their hose to the hydrant at the corner.
Don't park in front of a hydrant, or you may be fined.
The dog sniffed the red hydrant.
nouncountable
Any outlet connected to a water supply from which water can be drawn, such as in a garden or farm.
Grammar: Less common sense, often with a modifier: a garden hydrant.
Patterns
- a hydrant for something
The farmer filled the trough from a hydrant by the barn.
A hydrant outside the stable supplies the horses.
Word forms
| plural | hydrants |
|---|
Common combinations
- fire hydrant
- The fire hydrant was painted bright yellow.
- open a hydrant
- The crew opened the hydrant and checked the pressure.
- park near a hydrant
- You cannot park near a hydrant.
- hydrant cap
- A hydrant cap kept the water inside.
- hydrant flushing
- Hydrant flushing may cloud the tap water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- standpipe
- A standpipe is an upright pipe supplying water, often temporary, while a hydrant is usually a permanent fixture beside a road.
- fireplug
- Fireplug is an older American word for a fire hydrant.
- water outlet
- Water outlet is a general phrase for any water source, so it does not specify firefighting.
Word family
Commonly confused: hydrant or hydrate? hydrant or hydrangea?
hydrant vs hydrate
Hydrate means to add water, while a hydrant is a device from which water can be drawn.
hydrant vs hydrangea
A hydrangea is a flowering shrub. It begins like hydrant but has nothing to do with water supply.
Practice
The truck was fined for blocking the ___ on the corner, which firefighters need quick access to.
Choose one answer.
A hydrant is a street water outlet used in firefighting. Hydrate is a verb, hydrangea a plant and hydraulic an adjective, so none can name a thing on a corner.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hydrant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.