Meaning & use
water tap
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A fitting with a handle that you turn to let water flow from a pipe into a sink, bath or basin.
Grammar: Countable: turn on the water tap.
Patterns
- turn on the water tap
- a dripping water tap
Please turn off the water tap when you brush your teeth.
The water tap in the bathroom is dripping again.
Wash your hands under the water tap.
nouncountableBritishIndian
An outdoor or public source of drinking water, such as a pipe with a tap in a village.
Grammar: Often used for shared supplies: the village water tap.
Patterns
- a public water tap
Villagers fill their jars at the water tap each morning.
A public water tap stands near the station.
The garden water tap froze last winter.
Word forms
| plural | water taps |
|---|
Common combinations
- turn on the water tap
- Turn on the water tap slowly.
- leaking water tap
- A leaking water tap can waste many gallons.
- outdoor water tap
- The outdoor water tap needs a cover.
- run the water tap
- Don't run the water tap while you wash up.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- tap noun
- a fitting for controlling water flow
- tap water noun
- water that comes from a tap
- standpipe noun
- a vertical outdoor pipe with a tap
Commonly confused: water tap or tap water?
water tap vs tap water
Tap water is the water itself, while a water tap is the fitting that releases it.
Practice
A British speaker says, 'Turn off the water tap.' What does an American speaker say?
Choose one answer.
Faucet is the American word for a tap. A hose or sprinkler is attached to a tap but is not the fitting itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “water tap”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.