puddle

American  

[puhd-l] / ˈpʌd l /

noun

• puddles
  plural

1. a small pool of water, as of rainwater on the ground.

2. a small pool of any liquid.

3. clay or the like mixed with water and tempered, used as a waterproof lining for the walls of canals, ditches, etc.

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verb (used with object)

puddled, puddling

1. to mark or scatter with puddles.

2. to wet with dirty water, mud, etc.

3. to make (water) muddy or dirty.

4. to muddle or confuse.

5. to make (clay or the like) into puddle.

6. to cover with pasty clay or puddle.

7. Metallurgy. to subject (molten iron) to the process of puddling.

8. to destroy the granular structure of (soil) by agricultural operations on it when it is too wet.

9. Horticulture. to dip the roots of (a tree, shrub, etc.) into a thin mixture of loam and water to retard drying out during transplanting.

verb (used without object)

puddled, puddling

1. to wade in a puddle.

   The children were puddling.

2. to be or become puddled.

   The backyard was puddling.

puddle British  

/ ˈpʌdəl /

noun

1. a small pool of water, esp of rain

2. a small pool of any liquid

3. a worked mixture of wet clay and sand that is impervious to water and is used to line a pond or canal

4. rowing the patch of eddying water left by the blade of an oar after completion of a stroke

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verb

1. (tr) to make (clay, etc) into puddle

2. (tr) to subject (iron) to puddling

3. (intr) to dabble or wade in puddles, mud, or shallow water

4. (intr) to mess about

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• puddler
  noun
• puddly
  adjective
• unpuddled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• puddles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of puddle

1300–50; (noun) Middle English puddel, podel, pothel, apparently diminutive of Old English pudd ditch, furrow (akin to Low German pudel puddle); (v.) late Middle English pothelen, derivative of the noun

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Explanation

A puddle is a small pool, such as one that forms on a sidewalk after a rain shower. A little boy with new rain boots might decide to jump in every puddle he sees on his way to school. It's charming to see a puddle on a brick walkway or to watch a duck wash itself in a puddle. It's less charming to find a puddle in your basement after three days of rain. You can use puddle as a verb, too, to say, "I'm watching your cereal milk puddle in the middle of the table and wondering when you're planning to clean it up." Puddle comes from the Old English pudd, "ditch or furrow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

puddle puddles puddled puddling

“Any time Lenore says the word ‘sugah,’ it just makes me melt into a puddle on the floor,” Winderbaum says, laughing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

A broom tucked into a corner explains the unusual tidiness of the space, disturbed only by a glass bottle and a brown puddle in the middle of the floor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

If there has been rain the night before, the hawk will take a bath in a puddle on the court's roof.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

As we watched the group wander about, a female capybara waded into a mud puddle along the truck path and rolled around happily.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

He dragged himself out of the icy puddle where he’d landed.

From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis

As access reopened mid-morning, AFP saw the blackened remains of several burnt-out cars along roads near Omis, some ringed by silver puddles of metal that had melted under the intense heat of the fires.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Armed with flashlights, dozens of community members stepped into the darkened Westlake Theatre, sidestepping puddles and broken glass as they imagined what the century-old movie palace could become.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

I realized I want to raise kids who are going to jump in mud puddles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

Motoring group the RAC said "near constant rain" had led to a "sudden spike" of potholes hidden in puddles.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

We splashed through shallow puddles, startling flies from their perches atop piles of rotten food.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

We didn’t have a plan, just each other and the puddled roads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025

Video posted by a WTVF-TV reporter shows the water puddled up on the main floor’s concourse area and the team store.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2022

The puddled parking lot at Dor Beach is the latest arena for this battle over Israel’s founding story.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2022

As rain poured and puddled on the sideline at Ross-Ade Stadium, the Purdue mascot dared the cheerleader to jump into the water.

From Fox News ● Oct. 2, 2021

One of the does stamped on the puddled floor of the punt.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Others, fabricated from translucent amber resin that has hardened to a glossy sheen, are low and horizontal, oozing and puddling across the floor like pools of blood or toxic spills.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2024

"There have been numerous local measurements and theoretical discussions regarding the effects of water puddling on ice albedo," Kaczmarowski said.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 15, 2024

“There’s obviously a lot of puddling in the fairways. We’re in a pretty low area here. But the greens held up.”

From Washington Times ● May 6, 2022

With water puddling on the infield dirt in various places, Ray got a pair of ground balls to end the inning.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2022

It continued to come down hard, puddling around the garden.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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