watergate
n. C / Un. a major political scandal involving illegal activities and a cover-up by people in power. It comes from a famous event in the 1970s that led to the U.S. president resigning.
n. a political scandal involving illegal activities and an attempted cover-up by high-ranking officials. Often used as a suffix to name other scandals by adding '-gate' to a related word.
The scandal was the biggest watergate of the decade.
Journalists compared the recent election interference to the original Watergate because of the high-level cover-up involved.
The legacy of Watergate fundamentally altered the relationship between the American executive branch and the press, ushering in an era of heightened investigative scrutiny and public skepticism.
From the name of the Watergate Hotel; the complex itself was named after the "Water Gate" area where symphony orchestra concerts were staged on the Potomac River between 1935 and 1965.
When referring to the specific 1972 U.S. political event, it is a proper noun and must be capitalized.