Meaning & use
irrigation
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Meanings
noununcountable
The supply of water to crops or land through channels, pipes, or sprinklers, instead of relying on rain.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: crops depend on irrigation.
Patterns
- irrigation of something
- irrigation system
Rice farming needs a lot of irrigation.
The village built canals for irrigation.
Drip irrigation saves water in dry regions.
noununcountablemedical
The washing out of a wound or body cavity with a flow of liquid.
Grammar: Uncountable medical term: irrigation of a wound.
Patterns
- irrigation of a wound
The doctor used irrigation to clean the wound.
Irrigation of the ear removes built-up wax.
Common combinations
- irrigation system
- The farm installed a new irrigation system.
- drip irrigation
- Drip irrigation delivers water to each plant.
- irrigation canal
- An irrigation canal runs through the valley.
- rely on irrigation
- Many crops rely on irrigation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- watering
- Watering is everyday and small-scale, while irrigation is organized and usually large-scale.
Opposites
Word family
- irrigate verb
- to supply land with water
- irrigated adjective
- supplied with water by irrigation
- irrigator noun
- a person or device that irrigates
Commonly confused: irrigation or irritation?
irrigation vs irritation
Irritation means annoyance or soreness; irrigation is about water supply.
Practice
Farmers in the dry valley depend on ___ because it rarely rains.
Choose one answer.
Irrigation supplies water to crops. 'Irritation' sounds similar but means annoyance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “irrigation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.