English vocabulary · B2
Sluice
/sluːs/ · n., v.
It means a gate that controls flowing water. It also means to wash something with a strong rush of water.
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Example sentences
- He sluiced mud off the digger's tracks.
- Open the sluice and flood the field.
Word origin and roots
from Old French
- escluse — floodgate (from Old French)
Synonyms and nuances
- FLUSH — wash out quickly (To Push Out With Water)
- DRENCH — make fully wet (To Soak Completely)
- CHANNEL — a path for liquid (To Direct Flow)
Similar words
- floodgate
- channel
- spillway
Lesson notes
Sluice. It means a gate that controls flowing water. It also means to wash something with a strong rush of water.
Related: flush, drench, channel. Use Sluice when a strong rush of water washes something clean.
He sluiced mud off the digger's tracks. Open the sluice and flood the field.
From Old French. Escluse- means floodgate. A floodgate that opens to let water rush through — that is a sluice.