# Wells

/ˈwɛɫz/ (US) · /wˈɛlz/ (UK) · CEFR B1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wells
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Definition

deep holes in the ground that people use to get water, oil, or gas. You usually find them in places where there is no city water system.

For teachers: shafts or holes sunk into the earth to obtain water, oil, gas, or brine. Often used in plural to refer to the infrastructure of a specific site or the general source of a resource.

## Examples

- The village gets all its drinking water from two deep wells.
- After the drought began, many farmers had to dig deeper wells to reach the dropping water table.
- The discovery of several high-pressure oil wells in the region transformed the local economy from subsistence farming to industrial energy production within a single decade.

## Usage notes

- Commonly used with the verbs 'dig', 'drill', or 'sink'.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.