Meaning

The water held back by a dam or other obstruction..

Definitions by Sense

1. The water held back by a dam or other obstruction.
2. (idiomatic, usually figurative) A remote place: somewhere that remains unaffected by new events, progresses, ideas, etc; any field of endeavor that figuratively resembles such a place.
3. A rowing stroke in which the oar is pushed forward to stop the boat; see back water
4. (paper industry) Water used in the papermaking process. Recycled to reduce usage of fresh water, and usually containing residual amounts of chemicals and fibres.
5. To row or paddle a backwater stroke.
6. (idiomatic) To vacillate on a long-held position.

Example Sentences

[…] The backwater separates the main line from Hinksey marshalling yards

Near-synonyms: (place) jerkwater town, one-horse town, Podunk; see also Thesaurus:remote place

an academic backwater

Usually, however, this line, which once had a monopoly of all the traffic to Bournemouth, is a quiet backwater carrying a purely local traffic.

It's a volume for those who delight in exploring the backwaters of nineteenth-century opera.

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

What was once the industrial heart of Uruguay is now a quiet riverside backwater where nothing much happens—the shops don't bother to open until midday and not at all if it's raining.

In the 19th century silt deposits began to block the harbour, and the city began to decline. To make matters worse, conservative elements in Lukang refused in the early 20th century to allow trains and modern highways to be built near their city. Lukang became a backwater, only to be reborn decades later when modern Taiwanese began to search for a living connection with the past.

Word Forms

• backwaters
• back water
• back-water
• backwatering
• backwatered

Synonyms for back water

Related Words

When Should You Use Back water?

Use back water when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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