puddle

Everyday

A puddle is a small pool of water (or other liquid) on the ground, often after rain. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life children love jumping in puddles in wellies (rain boots). In safety, puddles can hide holes and be slippery, especially when frozen; never play in puddles near roads, and splashing cars can soak you. Big floodwater is not a puddle: never walk or play in floodwater. In science, puddles dry up because the water evaporates, faster in sun and wind; you can draw round a puddle with chalk to watch it shrink.

Examples

• We jumped in all the puddles on the way home. tree →
• Put your wellies on; there are puddles everywhere. tree →
• The puddle froze overnight and was very slippery. tree →
• A car drove through the puddle and splashed us. tree →
• The puddle got smaller as the water evaporated. tree →
• The puppy left a puddle on the floor. tree →
• Draw a chalk line around the puddle and check it later. tree →
• She saw the dirty puddle in the street. tree →

Note

Countable: a puddle, puddles. Double d. A puddle is small; a «pond» is a larger body of water that stays; a «pool» can be either. Myth: puddles soak into the ground only — they also evaporate into the air.