watering
watering — verb
- wateringpresent simple I / you / we / they
- waterings3rd person singular
- wateringing-ing form
- wateringedpast simple
1. to pour or spray water onto plants or the ground around them so that they grow w
to pour or spray water onto plants or the ground around them so that they grow well
Kemi waters her tomato plants every evening before the sun goes down.
water + noun phrase (plants / garden)
If you forget watering the seedlings for a week, they will dry out and die.
The gardener spent the whole morning watering the flower beds along the driveway.
Sirin asked her neighbour to water the potted plants while she was on holiday in Japan.
- irrigate
more formal and technical; used for large farmland or fields rather than a home garden
文法句型
water + noun phrase (plants / garden / lawn)
用法筆記
Commonly used with garden nouns (plants, flowers, lawn, seedlings). The continuous form (spent the morning watering…) is frequent in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
2. to offer drinking water to an animal, such as a horse, cow, or goat
to offer drinking water to an animal, such as a horse, cow, or goat
Every morning at dawn, Lakan waters the goats before letting them out to graze.
water + noun phrase (goats / horses / cattle)
The rancher showed Andrés how to water the horses from the trough near the barn.
During the long summer heat, the cows need to be watered twice a day to stay healthy.
Hugo forgot to water the chickens, so his father reminded him to fill their bowl.
文法句型
water + noun phrase (livestock / horses / cattle)
用法筆記
Used mainly for farm animals (cattle, horses, goats, sheep) rather than household pets. For pets, 'give water to' or 'fill the bowl' is more common.
常見錯誤
3. the way your mouth releases extra liquid when you see or smell something delicio
the way your mouth releases extra liquid when you see or smell something delicious you want to eat
Cyrus's mouth watered the moment he walked past the bakery and smelled fresh bread.
possessive + mouth + watered
The picture of grilled steak on the menu made Marta's mouth water immediately.
make + possessive + mouth + water
Watching the cooking show on TV always makes my mouth water, even after a big dinner.
The smell of garlic butter sauce drifting from the kitchen had everyone's mouth watering.
文法句型
mouth + waters
make + possessive + mouth + water
用法筆記
Almost always used as a fixed expression: 'mouth waters' or 'makes one's mouth water'. The continuous form ('mouths are watering') is also common. Rarely used in other grammatical patterns.
常見錯誤
4. when tears come from your eyes as a physical reaction to wind, smoke, an allergy
when tears come from your eyes as a physical reaction to wind, smoke, an allergy, or similar irritation, rather than from sadness
Yuki's eyes started watering the moment she stepped out into the cold winter wind.
possessive + eyes + started watering
Chopping a raw onion always makes Benjamin's eyes water for several minutes.
make + possessive + eyes + water
Eli's eyes were watering so much from his allergy that he could barely read the board.
The smoke from the campfire made everyone's eyes water, so they moved to another spot.
文法句型
eyes + water
make + possessive + eyes + water
用法筆記
Distinguish from crying: 'eyes watering' is a physical reaction (wind, onion, allergy), not an emotional one. The expression is usually intransitive with 'eyes' as the subject.
常見錯誤
watering — noun
1. the act or process of producing tears from the eyes as a physical reaction to ir
the act or process of producing tears from the eyes as a physical reaction to irritation, wind, or illness
The watering of Benjamin's eyes was so bad during allergy season that he had to stay indoors.
watering of the eyes
Eye watering is a common side effect of several pollen allergy medications.
eye watering as a noun phrase
Cyrus complained about the constant watering of his eyes whenever he rode his bicycle in the wind.
Doctors say that eye watering by itself is rarely a sign of a serious eye problem.
- lacrimation
the formal medical term for the production of tears; rarely used in everyday English
文法句型
watering of the eyes
eye watering
用法筆記
This is the gerund/action sense — it refers to the bodily process itself. Distinguish from verb sense 4 (EYES) which describes the action of eyes producing tears. 'Watering' as a noun is used mainly in medical or descriptive contexts. For senses related to the noun 'water' (the liquid, areas of water, territorial waters, spring water, etc.), see the entry for water.