watertight

[ waw-ter-tahyt, wot-er- ]
See synonyms for watertight on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. constructed or fitted so tightly as to be impervious to water: The ship had six watertight compartments.

  2. so devised or planned as to be impossible to defeat, evade, or nullify: a watertight contract; a watertight alibi.

Origin of watertight

1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at water, tight

Other words from watertight

  • wa·ter·tight·ness, noun
  • non·wa·ter·tight, adjective

Words Nearby watertight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use watertight in a sentence

  • If live grasshoppers, or similar bait, is desired the cork can be used unnotched to form a watertight stopper.

  • In one instance (at Firek Gol, near Van) even the dam is still intact, but is no longer watertight.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • The ballast-tanks were found to be leaking and Gillies had considerable trouble in making them watertight.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • It was attacked on this side and that; its foundations were pronounced bad and its superstructure not watertight.

    The Panama Canal | Frederic Jennings Haskin
  • These roofings are laid on over boards and secured in position by nails, the joinings being made watertight with cement.

    Making a Poultry House | Mary Roberts Conover

British Dictionary definitions for watertight

watertight

/ (ˈwɔːtəˌtaɪt) /


adjective
  1. not permitting the passage of water either in or out: a watertight boat

  2. without loopholes: a watertight argument

  1. kept separate from other subjects or influences: different disciplines are often thought of in watertight compartments

Derived forms of watertight

  • watertightness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012