Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Sewage for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Sewage" — noun, pronounced /ˈsuːɪdʒ/, with the stress on "sew".
Narrator: Sewage is waste water and human waste carried away from homes through pipes.
Narrator: In plain English, it is what goes down the toilet and drains.
Narrator: It comes from sewer plus -age.
Narrator: A common collocation is "sewage treatment works", which describes where waste is cleaned.
Narrator: It differs from "sewer", because sewage is the waste, while a sewer is the pipe.
Narrator: In a second sense, sewage spills into rivers are a major environmental issue in Britain.
Narrator: Water companies, environment, health and engineering all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: sewage is the waste, the sewer carries it.
Speaker A: Why can't we swim in the river today?
Speaker B: A SEWAGE spill! From sewer plus -age.
Speaker A: After the storm?
Speaker B: Overflows, sadly.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Sewage was pumped into the sea", news. "A sewage treatment plant", engineering. "Campaigners tackle sewage pollution", environment.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not confuse sewage with "sewerage", the system of pipes.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Waste water is its cousin, effluent its twin, and wastewater an alternative — yet sewage keeps its unpleasant reputation!
Speaker B: Let's use "sewage" in AI prompts — useful for environmental data and public alerts.
Speaker A: How for data?
Speaker B: Map spills.
Prompt: Map sewage overflow events from this data by river and duration.
Speaker A: And alerts?
Speaker B: Warn swimmers.
Prompt: Write a beach warning that sewage has been released and swimming is not advised.
Speaker A: Could it help education?
Speaker B: Yes, for science.
Prompt: Explain the stages of sewage treatment for Year 9.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Campaigns.
Prompt: Draft a letter to an MP about sewage in a local river.
Sewage — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary