geyser

noun

gey·​ser ˈgī-zər How to pronounce geyser (audio)
 British also  ˈgē-zə,
 for sense 1 and usually  for sense 2 ˈgē-zə
1
: a spring that throws forth intermittent jets of heated water and steam
2
British : an apparatus for heating water rapidly with a gas flame (as for a bath)

Did you know?

A hot spring that discharges intermittent jets of steam and water is called a geyser. Geysers are generally associated with recent volcanic activity. They are produced by the heating of underground waters that have come into contact with, or are very close to, magma. Geyser discharges as high as 1,600 ft (500 m) have been recorded, but 160 ft (50 m) is much more common. Occasionally, a geyser will adopt an extremely regular and predictable pattern of intermittent activity and discharge for a few minutes every hour or so (for example, Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park).

Examples of geyser in a Sentence

The water from the geyser rises as high as 75 feet. geysers rising as high as 75 feet The water shot into the sky in an enormous geyser.
Recent Examples on the Web At the Springs, Waukesha Waterworks has water cannons, waterslides and water geysers, as well as a 600-gallon dump bucket, which dumps approximately every ten minutes. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024 Then, a hot water pipe burst on the street near her building Jan. 17, sending a geyser of hot water and steam into the air. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024 Iceland is home to the nearly 200-mile Golden Circle, where visitors can see waterfalls, geysers, volcanic craters, hot springs, and Thingvellir National Park. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2024 Rivers and streams curve through the predominantly horizontal panoramas, although Fink switches to vertical formats for waterfalls, geysers and canyons. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023 After all, Enceladus, a moon of Saturn known to have a subsurface ocean, spurts geysers of water out of fractures in its crust—but the frigid, quiet Mimas stands in stark contrast to that. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 But unlike Enceladus, Mimas lacks not only geysers but also a dynamic and youthful surface. Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 7 Feb. 2024 The instant the cap was off, a geyser of pale goo spurted out. Paul McHugh, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 In 2016, the Portland, Oregon man slipped and fell to his death in a hot spring near one of Yellowstone’s famous geysers, Outside magazine reported. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'geyser.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Icelandic Geysir, hot spring in Iceland, from geysa to rush forth, from Old Norse; akin to Old English gēotan to pour — more at found

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of geyser was in 1780

Dictionary Entries Near geyser

Cite this Entry

“Geyser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geyser. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

geyser

noun
gey·​ser ˈgī-zər How to pronounce geyser (audio)
: a spring that now and then shoots out hot water and steam
Etymology

from Icelandic Geyser "a hot spring in Iceland," from geysa "to rush forth"

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