Meaning & use
raw sewage
Last updated
UK/ˌrɔː ˈsuːɪdʒ/
US/ˌrɔː ˈsuːɪdʒ/
Meaning
noununcountable
Waste water and human excrement that has not been treated or cleaned.
Grammar: Uncountable: raw sewage, not 'a raw sewage' or 'raw sewages'.
Patterns
- discharge raw sewage
- raw sewage into something
- raw sewage spill
The factory was fined for dumping raw sewage into the river.
Raw sewage can carry dangerous bacteria and viruses.
Residents complained about the smell of raw sewage in the streets.
Common combinations
- raw sewage discharge
- The report highlighted illegal raw sewage discharges.
- raw sewage spill
- A raw sewage spill closed the beach.
- treat raw sewage
- The plant treats raw sewage before releasing it.
- raw sewage contamination
- The water was tested for raw sewage contamination.
Synonyms and how they differ
- untreated sewage
- Very similar, but 'untreated' is more formal and often used in technical contexts.
- wastewater
- Wastewater can include industrial waste and is not always as specific as raw sewage.
Opposites
treated sewageclean water
Word family
- sewage noun
- Waste water and excrement, often treated; raw sewage is a type of sewage.
Commonly confused: raw sewage or sewer?
raw sewage vs sewer
A sewer is the pipe or tunnel that carries sewage; sewage is the waste itself.
Practice
What does 'raw sewage' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Raw' means untreated, so raw sewage is waste that has not been cleaned. Treated sewage would be the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “raw sewage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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