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Water cycle vocabulary words for science

Designed for elementary and middle school students studying earth science, this list explains the words used to describe how water moves through the environment. Use it while labeling a water cycle diagram or reviewing before a science quiz on weather and climate.

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Water cycle vocabulary words for science

Word	Meaning	In a sentence
evaporationnoun	The change of a liquid into gas at the liquid's surface.	Evaporation made the shallow puddle smaller during the afternoon.
condensationnoun	The change of a gas into a liquid.	Condensation formed droplets on the cold window.
precipitationnoun	Water that falls from clouds as rain, snow, hail, or another liquid or frozen form.	Most of the winter precipitation here falls as snow.
collectionnoun	A group of objects or items gathered together, especially because of a shared type or interest.	Her collection of vintage postcards filled three large albums.
runoffnoun	Rainwater or melted snow that flows across the ground into streams or rivers instead of soaking into the soil.	Heavy rain caused runoff that carried soil straight into the nearby river.
infiltrationnoun	The act of secretly entering an organization, place, or group in order to gain information or influence it.	The spy's infiltration of the enemy camp gave the army crucial intelligence.
transpirationnoun	The process by which water moves through a plant and evaporates from its leaves, stems, or flowers.	Transpiration helps pull water and nutrients up from the roots to the highest leaves.
sublimationnoun	The direct transformation of a substance from a solid into a gas without passing through a liquid state.	Dry ice cools drinks through sublimation, turning straight into carbon dioxide gas.
groundwaternoun	Water that collects underground in the soil and spaces between rocks.	The town's wells draw drinking water directly from groundwater beneath the fields.
reservoirnoun	A large natural or artificial lake used to store water for supply to a community.	The city's reservoir supplies drinking water to nearly two million residents.
watershednoun	The area of land whose water drains into a particular river, lake, or sea.	Pollution from farms upstream affects everyone living within the same watershed.
humiditynoun	The amount of water vapor present in the air.	The humidity made the summer afternoon feel hotter than the thermometer showed.
vapornoun	A substance in the form of a gas, especially one that is normally liquid or solid at room temperature.	Steam is water vapor that has been heated until it rises into the air.
cloudnoun	A visible mass of tiny water droplets or ice crystals floating in the sky.	A dark cloud rolled in just before the afternoon rainstorm began.
aquifernoun	An underground layer of rock or sediment that holds and can supply groundwater to wells and springs.	The city draws its drinking water from a deep aquifer beneath the desert.
percolationnoun	The slow, gradual passage of a liquid through a porous material or substance.	Percolation of rainwater through the soil gradually refills the underground aquifer.
saturationnoun	The state of being completely filled or soaked with something, or the intensity of a color.	The soil reached saturation after days of continuous rain.
drainagenoun	The process or system of removing excess water from an area of land or a structure.	Poor drainage left puddles across the field for days after the storm.
tributarynoun	A stream or smaller river that flows into a larger river, lake, or other body of water.	The Missouri River is the longest tributary of the Mississippi.
atmospherenoun	The mixture of gases surrounding a planet, or the overall mood or feeling of a place.	Earth's atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation from the sun.
cyclenoun	A series of events or stages that repeat regularly in the same order.	The water cycle moves moisture between the oceans, air, and land.
freshwateradjective	Relating to water that contains little or no salt, such as in lakes and rivers.	Trout and bass are common freshwater fish found in many mountain streams.

Steps of the water cycle

The water cycle repeats through a few main steps: evaporation turns liquid water into vapor, condensation forms that vapor into clouds, precipitation brings water back down as rain or snow, and collection gathers it into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Runoff and infiltration describe what happens next, as water either flows over land or soaks into the ground.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main stages of the water cycle?

The main stages are evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection, and they repeat continuously.

What is the difference between runoff and infiltration?

Runoff is water that flows over the land's surface, while infiltration is water that soaks down into the soil and rock below.