1
: an artificial reservoir (such as an underground tank) for storing liquids and especially water (such as rainwater)
2
: a large usually silver vessel formerly used (as in cooling wine) at the dining table
3
: a fluid-containing sac or cavity in an organism
Examples of cistern in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For more water, install barrels at each downspout, connect several rain barrels together, or go for a larger cistern.
—
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Solar panels also were added to the park in 2017 and 2018, and a cistern was installed to collect water from the splash pad, which was repurposed for the irrigation of the sports fields.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
The park has a full-size soccer field, a sunken basketball court that doubles as a reservoir, a long wooden walkway raised above plantings and tall grasses, a community pavilion, a café, and a fifty-thousand-gallon cistern that captures rain for irrigation.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cistern
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Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Solar panels also were added to the park in 2017 and 2018, and a cistern was installed to collect water from the splash pad, which was repurposed for the irrigation of the sports fields.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
The park has a full-size soccer field, a sunken basketball court that doubles as a reservoir, a long wooden walkway raised above plantings and tall grasses, a community pavilion, a café, and a fifty-thousand-gallon cistern that captures rain for irrigation.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cistern
Cite this Entry
“Cistern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cistern. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cistern
noun
cis·tern
ˈsis-tərn 
: an artificial reservoir or tank for storing water usually underground
Medical Definition
cistern
noun
cis·tern
ˈsis-tərn
: a fluid-containing sac or cavity in an organism
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