1
: a very small pool of usually dirty or muddy water
2
a
: an earthy mixture (as of clay, sand, and gravel) worked while wet into a compact mass that becomes impervious to water when dry
b
: a thin mixture of soil and water for puddling plants
puddled; puddling
ˈpəd-liŋ 
ˈpə-dᵊl-iŋ
: to dabble or wade around in a puddle
1
: to make muddy or turbid : muddle
2
a
: to work (a wet mixture of earth or concrete) into a dense impervious mass
b
: to subject (iron) to the process of puddling
3
a
: to strew with puddles
b
: to compact (soil) especially by working when too wet
c
: to dip the roots of (a plant) in a thin mud before transplanting
Examples of puddle in a Sentence
Noun
She accidentally stepped in a puddle and got her shoes wet.
After the storm, the road was covered in deep puddles.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
When your winter is essentially one never-ending polar vortex, your house is likely a smattering of salty puddles and footprints.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
Even with the start time at Heinz Field moved back several hours from early afternoon to evening, Mother Nature remained uncooperative with the temperature in the 50s and a light rain that caused puddling on the ice.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puddle
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Noun
When Heathcliff, a foundling, discovers that Cathy Earnshaw, the daughter of the impoverished Yorkshire lord who’s taken him in, has played a prank on him by putting eggs in his beds to be crushed, the boy plunges his fingers into the slippery puddle of yolk and albumen left behind.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
When your winter is essentially one never-ending polar vortex, your house is likely a smattering of salty puddles and footprints.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
Jeans frequently puddled over wider footwear styles like patent loafers and round-toe boots.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
Even with the start time at Heinz Field moved back several hours from early afternoon to evening, Mother Nature remained uncooperative with the temperature in the 50s and a light rain that caused puddling on the ice.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puddle
Cite this Entry
“Puddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puddle. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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