dewater: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (Technical Term)Technical, Industrial, Formal
Quick answer
What does “dewater” mean?
To remove water from something.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To remove water from something; to make something less wet or dry it out.
A technical or industrial process of separating water from solids, sludge, or slurry, often to reduce volume, aid disposal, or facilitate further processing.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The word is technical and used identically in both varieties.
Connotations
Neutral, purely functional/process-oriented in both regions.
Frequency
Equally rare and specialized in both British and American English.
Grammar
How to Use “dewater” in a Sentence
[Transitive] to dewater + [noun phrase] (e.g., dewater the sludge)[Passive] be dewatered + [prepositional phrase] (e.g., The slurry was dewatered in a centrifuge).Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “dewater” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The new centrifuge can dewater sewage sludge more efficiently.
- They had to dewater the construction trench before laying the foundations.
American English
- The plant uses presses to dewater the mineral slurry.
- We need to dewater these biosolids before transporting them to the landfill.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in proposals or reports for waste management, mining, or construction projects (e.g., 'The contract includes equipment to dewater the excavation site.').
Academic
Common in environmental engineering, chemical engineering, and geology papers (e.g., 'The study compares methods to dewater algal biomass.').
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation. A native speaker would say 'dry out' or 'drain'.
Technical
The primary domain. Refers to specific processes in wastewater treatment, mining, dredging, and food processing.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “dewater”
- Using it as a general synonym for 'dry' (e.g., 'I dewatered my clothes.' – Incorrect).
- Confusing it with 'water down' (which means to dilute).
- Misspelling as 'de-water' (though the hyphenated form is sometimes seen).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. 'Dewater' is a specific technical term for mechanically removing water from solids (like sludge or sediment). 'Dry' is a much more general term.
It would sound very odd and overly technical. Use 'dry out', 'drain', or 'soak up the water' instead.
The process is called 'dewatering'. The resulting product might be called 'dewatered cake' or 'dewatered solids'.
Both 'dewater' and 'de-water' are found, but the single-word form is more common in modern technical writing.
To remove water from something.
Dewater is usually technical, industrial, formal in register.
Dewater: in British English it is pronounced /ˌdiːˈwɔːtə(r)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌdiˈwɔːt̬ɚ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a DE-humidifier: it removes water (DE-WATERs) the air. 'Dewater' is the industrial version for solids.
Conceptual Metaphor
WATER AS A SEPARABLE COMPONENT / PURIFICATION AS REMOVAL.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the verb 'dewater' most appropriately used?