Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

puddle

/ˈpʌdəl/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about puddle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A mixture of wet clay and sand that can be used to line a pond and that is impervious to water when dry.
A small body of standing water (rainwater) or other liquid.
there were puddles of muddy water in the road after the rain
Something resembling a pool of liquid.
he stood in a pool of light

verb

Wade or dabble in a puddle.
The ducks and geese puddled in the backyard
Subject to puddling or form by puddling.
puddle iron
Dip into mud before planting.
puddle young plants

Origin

From Middle English podel, diminutive of Old English pudd (“ditch”), from Proto-Germanic *puddaz (compare Low German Pudel (“puddle”), Middle High German podel (“quagmire, mudhole”), Hunsrik Puttel, dialectal German Pfudel (“puddle”), German pudeln (“to splash about”)), ultimately imitative.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word