waterproof en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈwɑ(ː)t̬ɚ-/ (General-American)
- /ˈwɔt̬ɚˌpruf/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈwɔːtəˌpruːf/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From water + -proof. Compare West Frisian wetterproef (“waterproof”), Dutch waterproef (“waterproof”).
Meanings
- (broadly, qualifier:but common) Resistant to the effects of water.
-
(qualifier:strictly) Made of or covered with material that doesn't allow water in; impervious to water and immune to its effects.
The captain did a safety drill. This covered where the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was located, how to make a mayday call, and where the fire extinguishers were. A crew member demonstrated how to put on an immersion suit. These survival suits are waterproof full-body garments with a hood and integral three-finger gloves and boots. They are bulky and hard to get on but far more likely to save your life in cold water than a lifejacket.
2025 October 21, Rose George, “‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose”, in The Guardian:
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(figuratively) Incapable of failing; unassailable.
Especially within an international framework, guarding this process is of the utmost importance. The eyes of the world are focussed on the action at hand and demand a waterproof plan and execution.
2001, W. A. M. van Dijk, J. L. Hovens, Netherlands. Koninklijke Marechaussee, Arresting war criminals:The only waterproof plan and the one increasingly adopted by leading trades is the consolidation of the interests of all parties in a scheme of amalgamation.
1931, The British Clay Worker:Unless you have a 100 percent waterproof plan to defraud insurance companies, I would suggest you don't do it.
2013, Barry Davies, Soldier of Fortune Guide to How to Disappear and Never Be Found, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., →ISBN:
-
(of organisms, uncommon) Not dependent on an aquatic environment to live; thus, able to live on dry land, or at least in a semiaquatic environment.
At the time the Burgess Shale was laid down, life on land was pretty unexciting – there were a few primitive clubmosses and liverworts growing in wet areas near water, but little else. There would also have been a strand-line of washed-up plants and animals, edible detritus that was tantalisingly out of reach of the water-bound animals of the day. Inevitably, before long some arthropods began to drag themselves ashore to take advantage of these untapped resources. Their external skeletons, which perhaps originally evolved as a defence against predators, helped to support their bodies on land, giving them an edge in colonisation there over soft-bodied sea animals such as jellyfish and worms. To start with, these animals would presumably have been poorly waterproofed and had to return to water very regularly to prevent themselves drying out; or they would have had to stay in the dampest places, amongst rotting weed or damp moss. […] As the plants slowly adapted to life on land and spread away from the seas, they also grew taller as the competition for light intensified. To follow them, the animals had to improve their waterproofing. Some animal groups never really got the hang of this; for example, the few crustaceans that successfully invaded land, such as woodlice, are restricted to damp places to this day. Others, such as arachnids, evolved more-or-less waterproof cuticles and eggs, so that they were able to leave water far behind and occupy even the most inhospitable, arid environments on Earth.
2015, Dave Goulson, A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm, Picador, →ISBN, pages 24-25:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more waterproof | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most waterproof | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Descendants
waterproof · waterproof · waterproof · ватерпру́ф · waterproof · waterproof · waterproef
Hypernyms
Synonyms
watertight · waterfast · water-resistant
Translations (89)
pl wodoodporny (resistant to water) · de wasserundurchlässig (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · es impermeable (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · pt impermeável (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · it impermeabile (resistant to water) · da vandtæt (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ms kedap air (resistant to water) · it a tenuta stagna (resistant to water) · crh suv keçmez (resistant to water) · bg водонепроница́ем (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · hu vízálló (resistant to water) · nb vasstett (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · de wasserfest (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · hu vízhatlan (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · da imprægneret (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · vi chống thấm (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · pt impermeável (resistant to water) · nn vasstett (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · vi chống thấm nước (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · cmn 防水 (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ga uiscedhíonach (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · fi vesitiivis (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ga uiscedhíonach (resistant to water) · de wasserdicht (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · hi जलरोधी (resistant to water) · ja 防水の (resistant to water) · ka წყალშეუღწევი (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · sv vattentät (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · es impermeable (resistant to water) · crh suv keçmez (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ru водонепроница́емый (resistant to water) · hi जलरोधी (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · az sukeçirməz (resistant to water) · mi parewai (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · bg водонепроница́ем (resistant to water) · gl impermeable (resistant to water) · ka წყალმედეგი (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · gd uisge-dhìonach (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · de wasserfest (resistant to water) · fr imperméable (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · bg непромока́ем (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · is vatnsheldur (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · az sukeçirməyən (resistant to water) · fi vedenkestävä (resistant to water) · ja 防水の (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ru непромока́емый (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · pl wodoszczelny (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ca impermeable (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ka ულტობი (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ru водонепроница́емый (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ka წყალგამძლე (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ru водоупо́рный (resistant to water) · ka წყალგამძლე (resistant to water) · cs vodotěsný (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · cmn 防水的 (resistant to water) · fr résistant à l'eau (resistant to water) · ka წყალგაუმტარი (resistant to water) · mi maru (resistant to water) · gl impermeábel (resistant to water) · ru водосто́йкий (resistant to water) · ca submergible (resistant to water) · ar مُقَاوِم لِلْمَاء (resistant to water) · nb vanntett (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ka წყალგაუმტარი (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · fa واترپروف (resistant to water) · da vandfast (resistant to water) · gd uisge-dhìonach (resistant to water) · sv vattenfast (resistant to water) · kk суөткізбейтін (resistant to water) · fr étanche (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · tr su geçirmez (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · sv vattentålig (resistant to water) · el αδιάβροχος (resistant to water) · fi vedenpitävä (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · no vanntett (resistant to water) · vi chống nước (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · mi pītongatonga (resistant to water) · sv vattentät (resistant to water) · ar مُقَاوِم لِلْمَاء (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · pt à prova de água (resistant to water) · bg непромока́ем (resistant to water) · el αδιάβροχος (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ms waterpruf (resistant to water) · mi whakapiri (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · ms kalis air (resistant to water) · fr waterproof (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · pl nieprzemakalny (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · it impermeabilizzato (made or covered with material that doesn't let water in) · id anti-air (resistant to water)