watertight
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
made so tightly that water cannot get in or out.
constructed or sealed so tightly as to be impermeable to water.
Simple“Make sure the container is watertight before you put it in your bag.”
In context“The engineers tested the hull to ensure it was completely watertight before the submarine's first deep-sea mission.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
so well planned or explained that no one can find a mistake or defeat it.
impossible to defeat, evade, or nullify; used of arguments, plans, or legal cases.
Simple“The police had a watertight case against the thief.”
In context“The legal team spent months building a watertight argument to ensure the contract could not be challenged in court.”
UsageOften collocates with 'case', 'argument', 'alibi', or 'excuse'.
Synonyms
From water + tight. Compare Scots wattirticht (“watertight”), West Frisian wetterticht (“waterproof”), Dutch waterdicht (“waterproof, watertight”), German wasserdicht (“watertight, waterproof”), Danish vandtæt (“watertight”), Swedish vattentät (“watertight, waterproof”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.