noun
sewer
SOO-uh
noun
1
An underground pipe or channel that carries away waste water and sewage.
"Workers repaired a broken sewer under the main street."
"Heavy rain overwhelmed the city's old sewer system."
2
A person who sews.
"She was a skilled sewer, making most of her family's clothes."
How to Use Sewer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsually the underground pipe system that carries away waste water; also someone who sews.
Common mistake
Meaning "one who sews" is pronounced like "so-er," not like the drainage "sewer" — context usually makes it clear which is meant.
Common pairings
sewer system
sewer pipe
storm sewer
Word Forms
sewered past tense, sewers plural, sewers plural, sewers plural, sewers singular
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Workers repaired a broken _____ under the main street.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman sewere, "water-course," ultimately from Latin ex- ("out of") plus aquaria ("of water").