puddle Definition
pud·dle (pud′'l)
noun
- a small pool of water, esp. stagnant, spilled, or muddy water
- a thick mixture of clay, and sometimes sand, with water, that is impervious to water
Etymology: ME podel, dim. < OE pudd, ditch, akin to LowG pudel
transitive verb -·dled, -·dling
- to make muddy
- to make a thick mixture of (wet clay and sand)
- to cover with such a mixture to keep water from penetrating
- to treat (iron) by puddling
intransitive verb
to dabble or wallow in dirty or muddy water
puddle Related Forms
pud′·dler (-lər) noun
puddle Synonyms
puddle Usage Examples
Object
- clay: Some ponds don't even need a liner - you can puddle the clay!
- iron: In the reconstruction we have used puddled iron - the nearest modern equivalent.
Converse of object
- avoid: She walked around, avoiding the puddles of water.
- hit: When we first bought our new car my wife asked me if I could not hit any puddles or debris in the road.
- leave: I was too embarrassed to look back in case I had left a little puddle behind.
Preposition: on
- floor: Water rises over the top in the tank or cistern and suddenly there are puddles on the floor and drips through your ceiling.
- road: That is one enormous puddle on the road by the pedestrian crossing.
Adjective modifier
- muddy: He would drink water from muddy puddles to survive.
- icy: No rain which was nice but lots and lots of icy puddles.
- frozen: I'm not sure Sunderland's Yacht basin is more impressive than a frozen puddle; ) Fame at last H!
- deep: I drive through the deep puddles to the end of Green Lane near the motorway.
- huge: The campsite became boggy at first, then huge puddles appeared, then, at about 8pm the river burst its banks.
- large: Came upon a large puddle of water about 100m from where we had set up camp.
Modifies a noun
- clay: It will be lined with puddle clay in the traditional way.
- duck: Diver Duck Vocalizations Although divers are vocal, calling them is not as important as it is for puddle ducks.
Noun used with modifier
mud: The symbol may be visual, auditory, or that you step in a mud puddle!
Preposition: of
- mud: Pete: We saw a few lying in puddles of mud backstage... .
- blood: A puddle of blood begins to pool around Michael's head, running thick over the pavement.
- water: There is a puddle of dead water in the hold lapping over the floor down aft.
- oil: I am pleased to confirm that not even a little puddle of oil could be seen on the surface of the finished dish.

