Colloquial Variant guide

bilgewater

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈbɪld͡ʒwɔtɚ/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Water which collects in the bilges of a ship.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Stupid talk or writing; nonsense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

pretentious or silly talk or writing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: baloney, boloney, bosh, drool, humbug, taradiddle, tarradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, twaddle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: nonsense, bunk, nonsensicality, meaninglessness, hokum

History

Etymology

From bilge + water.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: bundvand — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Dutch: kielwater — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Dutch: ruimwater — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Finnish: pilssivesi — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • German: Bilgewasser — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • German: Bilgenwasser — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Ancient Greek: ἄντλος (ántlos) — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Hebrew: מֵי שִׁפּוּלַיִם (mey shipulayim) — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Irish: uisce ruma — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Irish: bodharuisce — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Italian: acqua di sentina — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Latin: sentīna — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Russian: трю́мная вода́ (trjúmnaja vodá) — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Swedish: kölvatten — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Welsh: dŵr twll sbydu — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Welsh: dŵr gwaelodion — nautical: water which collects in the bilges of a ship
  • Catalan: estirabot — slang: nonsense
  • Chinese Mandarin: 幹話 /干话 (gànhuà) — slang: nonsense
  • Dutch: onzin — slang: nonsense
  • Dutch: flauwe kul — slang: nonsense
  • Finnish: höpöpuhe — slang: nonsense