ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sewage

n.
US //ˈsuədʒ// UK //sˈuːɪdʒ// sewage
  1. 1 waste water (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the mixture of water and waste that comes from toilets and sinks and goes into pipes.

    liquid and solid waste matter carried off by sewers; typically a suspension of water and organic waste from domestic or industrial sources.

    Example

    The city built a new plant to treat sewage before it reaches the ocean.

    Example

    Environmental regulations require the facility to treat raw sewage to a high standard before discharging the effluent into the local river system.
  2. 2 the pipe system (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic

    the system of pipes used to carry waste away.

    the system of sewers or the process of removing waste; a synonym for sewerage.

    Example

    The old town had a very simple system of sewage that often leaked.

    Example

    The Victorian engineers revolutionised urban health by installing a comprehensive sewage system beneath the city's main thoroughfares.

    Usage

    In modern English, 'sewerage' is preferred for the infrastructure, while 'sewage' refers to the waste itself.
Origin

From sewer (“system of pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage”) + -age or from sew (“to drain or draw off water”) + -age.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026