What does "sewer" mean?
A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage.
Sewer
/ˈs(j)uːə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage.
- Grammar: sewer is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abri, antre, bog, bunker.
- Useful contrasts: cesspit, cutters, fabric cutter.
- Usage evidence: Can you see an owl eating a delicious sewer rat over there? That's me.
How to use "sewer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sewer" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sewer" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sewer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sewer" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sewer" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abri" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sewer", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage.
"There was a blockage in the sewer after an item of clothing was flushed down the toilet."
- 2 An official in charge of a princely household, also responsible for the ceremonial task of attending at dinners, seating the guests and serving dishes. historical
"While the Saxon was plunged in these painful reflections, the door of their prison opened, and gave entrance to a sewer, holding his white rod of office."
- 3 One who sews.
"Up under the roof three men are making boys’ jackets at twenty cents a piece, of which the sewer takes eight, the ironer three, the finisher five cents, and the buttonhole-maker two and a quarter, leaving a cent and three-quarters to pay for the drumming up, the fetching and bringing back of the goods."
- 4 a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water wordnet
- 5 A small tortricid moth, the larva of which sews together the edges of a leaf using silk.
"the apple-leaf sewer, Ancylis nubeculana"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 someone who sews wordnet
- 7 misfortune resulting in lost effort or money wordnet
Verb
- 1 To provide (a place) with a system of sewers. transitive
Example
"Can you see an owl eating a delicious sewer rat over there? That's me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sewer"?
Common synonyms include: abri, antre, bog, bunker, burrow, cave.
How do you use "sewer" in a sentence?
Can you see an owl eating a delicious sewer rat over there? That's me.
How do you pronounce "sewer"?
Pronounced /ˈs(j)uːə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sewer, seuer, from Anglo-Norman sewere (“water-course”), from Old French sewiere (“overflow channel for a fishpond”), from Vulgar Latin *exaquāria (“drain for carrying water off”), from Latin ex (“out of, from”) + aquāria (“of or pertaining to waters”) or from a root *exaquāre.
Etymology 2
From Middle English seware, seuere, from Anglo-Norman asseour, from Old French asseoir (“find a seat for”), from Latin assidēre, present active participle of assideō (“attend to”), from ad (“to, towards, at”) + sedeō (“sit”).
Etymology 3
sew + -er